You’re Not You When Your Hungry
Our theory of cells has led us to believe that there was a bacterium which was able to produce energy and integrated itself into another organic organism. This created the mitochondria in energy-producing cells which use oxygen and it could have made chloroplasts in cells which use sunlight. Today we still have relationships which are mutual and both organisms benefit from each other. Sometimes it is two animals and sometimes it is on a microscopic scale. In our own bodies, we have bacteria which live in our digestive systems which help with breakdown, nutrient uptake, and general function of our body system. These bacteria produce material which we may sometimes use and now we are learning that we may be receiving more than just digestive help.
I actually overheard some speaking about this so I thought I would look into it for myself. I have found that there are bacteria in the gut which produce different neuropeptides such as serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, GABA, and acetylcholine. The difficulty with this is whether there is a connection from the gut to the brain which can get past the brain blood barrier. Then they bring up the vagus nerve. If you’re a little vague on the function of this nerve it is the connection between the enteric nervous system and the central nervous system. It has functions which relate to the heart, lungs, and digestive system. This is one of my favorite nerves and one of the longest of the autonomic nervous system. L. rhamnosus is stated to have depression-like behavior and anxiety-like behavior. This is also stated to have changing effect if the vagus nerve is made to have less connectivity.
This is one example, but two other ways they can be linked are through the circulatory system which can carry neurotransmitters, hormones, and other signals to the brain. The second is the immune system which is affected by Microbial-associated molecular patterns and metabolites. This can affect our current knowledge of certain behavioral disorders such as autism. It was found that Autism Spectrum Disorder could occur from issues due to the environment or the genetics of a person. It is more obvious to state that certain infections or genetic issues can directly lead to problems but, it can be seen that issues can arise as a byproduct of intestinal dysfunction. The genes of a person could be altered not only to cause effects in the brain but there is a suspicion that defects in the intestinal cell biology could lead to microbial biome alteration which can cause issues with the immune system and abnormal brain development issues.
I always knew what we ate had an effect on us, but the specific bacteria that are living in our gut are not something I thought would get to our brains. With this quick run through I hope a gave enough details to see that there could be another way to design treatments. I wonder if in the future there will be a time when a doctor will say “oh you need anger management, here is a prescription for these antibiotics.”
Sources:
Control of Brain Development, Function, and Behavior by the Microbiome
R.Sampson and Sarkis K.Mazmanian
Emerging Roles for the Gut Microbiome in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Helen E. Vuong, Elaine Y. Hsiao
I actually overheard some speaking about this so I thought I would look into it for myself. I have found that there are bacteria in the gut which produce different neuropeptides such as serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, GABA, and acetylcholine. The difficulty with this is whether there is a connection from the gut to the brain which can get past the brain blood barrier. Then they bring up the vagus nerve. If you’re a little vague on the function of this nerve it is the connection between the enteric nervous system and the central nervous system. It has functions which relate to the heart, lungs, and digestive system. This is one of my favorite nerves and one of the longest of the autonomic nervous system. L. rhamnosus is stated to have depression-like behavior and anxiety-like behavior. This is also stated to have changing effect if the vagus nerve is made to have less connectivity.
This is one example, but two other ways they can be linked are through the circulatory system which can carry neurotransmitters, hormones, and other signals to the brain. The second is the immune system which is affected by Microbial-associated molecular patterns and metabolites. This can affect our current knowledge of certain behavioral disorders such as autism. It was found that Autism Spectrum Disorder could occur from issues due to the environment or the genetics of a person. It is more obvious to state that certain infections or genetic issues can directly lead to problems but, it can be seen that issues can arise as a byproduct of intestinal dysfunction. The genes of a person could be altered not only to cause effects in the brain but there is a suspicion that defects in the intestinal cell biology could lead to microbial biome alteration which can cause issues with the immune system and abnormal brain development issues.
I always knew what we ate had an effect on us, but the specific bacteria that are living in our gut are not something I thought would get to our brains. With this quick run through I hope a gave enough details to see that there could be another way to design treatments. I wonder if in the future there will be a time when a doctor will say “oh you need anger management, here is a prescription for these antibiotics.”
Sources:
Control of Brain Development, Function, and Behavior by the Microbiome
R.Sampson and Sarkis K.Mazmanian
Emerging Roles for the Gut Microbiome in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Helen E. Vuong, Elaine Y. Hsiao
Changes in bacteria in the gut can influence autism
behaviors
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.ezproxy.shsu.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/14A9608405A09128?p=WORLDNEWS
I love that you have a favorite nerve.
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