This is the chemical dialogue between your brain and your stomach

Our emotions and decisions are also influenced by our viscera and intestinal flora.

We know that the brain is the main element in charge of controlling and managing the set of processes that take place in our body. But the truth is that the other systems are also very important for the maintenance of the body and have the potential to influence its activity.

An example of this is the digestive system, thanks to which we can obtain the nutrients we need to stay alive. Brain and stomach are related and communicate with each other through nerve impulses. through nerve impulses and the transmission of chemicals.

Functional divisions of the nervous system

When we speak of the nervous system we generally divide it into the central nervous system, in which we find mainly the brain and spinal cordThe peripheral or autonomic nervous system, which corresponds to the set of ganglia and nerves that innervate the different organs and cause the information from the organs to pass to the brain and vice versa.

Within the autonomic nervous system, we usually identify two basic subsystems, the sympathetic and the autonomic. two basic subsystems, the sympathetic and parasympatheticThese subsystems are responsible for managing the set of activities that the organism performs outside our awareness and for preparing our body to face dangerous situations (or to reduce activation once the situation has passed).

However, there is a third subsystem of the nervous system, However, there is a third subsystem of the autonomic nervous system, little studied and often ignored and often ignored despite its tremendous importance for survival. It is about the enteric nervous system, a part of our bodies related to the fascinating phenomenon of the dialogue between viscera and brain.

The enteric nervous system

The enteric nervous system is of paramount importance in the survival of the organism. It is the set of nerve fibers that innervate and control the functioning of the digestive system.. It controls aspects such as the movement of the muscles of the digestive tract that allow food to reach the stomach, the secretion of acids and enzymes that dissolve food, the absorption of nutrients and the expulsion of waste.

This system is made up of millions of neurons (in a quantity similar to that of the spinal cord) distributed throughout the digestive tract and, although it is influenced by the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, it is controlled by the enteric ganglia in a partially independent manner, acting reflexively. It is not for nothing that the digestive system has sometimes been called the second brain.

In this system, too, a large number of hormones a large number of hormones and neurotransmitters (particles that act as messengers) can also be found in this system. (particles that act as messengers between neurons), such as serotonin (most of which we present in our body is found and synthesized in this system, although it is also produced by the brain), dopamine, substance P or GABA, among many others.

These neurotransmitters are regulated by the enteric system itself, although there is an influence on this system by those of the central system.

Stomach-brain nerve communication

Although it has some independence, the enteric system and the central nervous system are linked and some nerves of the central nervous system connect with different organs of the digestive tract.

The vagus nerve is the main means of nerve communication between the brain and the digestive system. between the brain and the digestive system. This nerve has great importance in different body systems; in the case of the stomach, it has been found that a bidirectional communication is established in which in fact the amount of information that goes from the stomach to the brain is greater than that which goes from the brain to the stomach.

That there is a greater transmission of information from the stomach to the brain than vice versa is due to the need to control intake.. Feeding behavior is governed by the brain, which causes the need for the brain to receive information about the good or bad functioning of the digestive system or whether consumption is harmful or beneficial, as well as whether the level of consumption is being excessive (sensations of satiety and hunger).

Despite this, the vagus helps to control the activity of the intestine especially when the organism is in a situation of tension or danger. In this situation the sympathetic system contributes to stop the functioning of the digestive system. When the dangerous situation passes, it is the vagus nerve which is mainly responsible for reactivating its functioning by acting at the parasympathetic level. It also participates in the emission of bile.

Furthermore, while the enteric system is able to synthesize and manage neurotransmitters, it is also affected by the functioning of the brain. Situations that generate stress or anxiety affect the enteric nervous system and its motility, as well as neurochemical imbalances such as those that occur during depression. and its motility, as well as neurochemical imbalances such as those that occur during depression. Some of the hormones involved in this brain-digestive tract relationship are serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine. Also acetylcholine, which is important for example in the functioning of the vagus nerve.

The role of intestinal flora in communication.

In addition to the role of nerve conduction and neurotransmitters, the intestinal flora also has an effect on the on the communication between the enteric nervous system and the central nervous system.

The microorganisms that populate our digestive tract have an influence when it comes to the enteric system informing the brain of the good or bad state of the system, through the modification of the secretion of neurotransmitters. It also affects the functioning of the immune systemThis in turn has an indirect effect on behavior and health status.

Research with rodents also shows that the functioning of the digestive system and the intestinal flora and fauna may even have an effect on behavior. may even have an effect on behavior through variations in brain structure and function, altering responses to certain neurotransmitters.

Effects of brain-digestive system communication

The fact that brain and digestive system are connected is of great importance and has very relevant implications. There is an influence of the digestive system on brain function, and vice versa.

The presence of intestinal disorders can be linked to aspects such as anxietyIt has been demonstrated that the presence of anxious or depressive disorders can generate the worsening or even the appearance of digestive problems such as peptic ulcer or irritable colon.

It has even been detected that some of the microorganisms that cover our digestive system can generate antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory substances that can have a positive effect on our brain, stimulating protective cells called astrocytes and delaying neurodegeneration. This may make it interesting to conduct further research on these effects.

But even today it is common that among the various guidelines that are recommended for some mental disorders there are mentions of dietary and food aspects such as consumption of certain substances or the following of specific diets (e.g., increasing the level of tryptophan consumed specific diets (for example increasing the level of tryptophan consumed, which in turn is related to the secretion of neurotransmitters).

Bibliographical references:

• Guyton, A.C. (2001) Treatise on Medical Physiology. (10th ed), McGraw-Hill Interamericana Ed.

• Mirre, J.C. (2012). The importance of the second brain. Discovery Health, 147.

• Rothhammer, V. et al. (2016). Type I interferons and microbial metabolites of tryptophan modulate astrocyte activity and central nervous system inflammation via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. Nature Medicine, 22; 586-597.