Causal Relationship between Physiological and Pathological Processes in the Brain and in the Gastrointestinal Tract: The Brain–Intestine Axis

Abstract

The brain and gastrointestinal tract are the most important organs responsible for detecting, transmitting, integrating, and responding to signals coming from the internal and external environment. A bidirectional system of neurohumoral communication (the "intestine-brain" axis) combines the activity of the intestine and brain (or brain and intestine) of a person. It affects human development and behavior. This paper analyzes the literature data on the existence of a relationship between the central and enteral nervous systems. Based on data on the number of neurons in the enteral nervous system (approximately 250 million nerve cells), the concept of a "second brain" in the intestine has been proposed in foreign literature, which, by its influence on the brain, can have a more powerful influence than the spinal cord (approximately 10 million neurons) with its autonomic nervous system. However, it turned out that Russian scientists, academicians of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union I.P. Pavlov, K.M. Bykov, and A.M. Ugolev, analyzed cortical-visceral relationships in the 20th century and wrote about the existence of a connection between the central and enteral nervous systems. One of the urgent problems of modern physiology, pathophysiology, biophysics, biochemistry, and medicine is to clarify the causal relationship between the central and enteral nervous systems, as well as between neurological, mental, and gastrointestinal diseases in order to combine the efforts of specialists of various medical and biological profiles to solve urgent medical problems.

Oxidative stress and modification of blood proteins in children with inflammatory bowel diseases

“…В настоящее время установлена взаимосвязь ВЗК с развитием нарушений в головном мозге [28]. Показано развитие депрессивных состояний при ВЗК у больных, а также нарушение их когнитивных функций при повреждении желудочно-кишечного тракта [29,30].…”

“…Показано развитие депрессивных состояний при ВЗК у больных, а также нарушение их когнитивных функций при повреждении желудочно-кишечного тракта [29,30]. Эти данные, наряду с установленным нами увеличением концентрации 3-НТ в крови у детей с ВЗК, являются основанием для предположения о вовлечении в патогенез ВЗК рецепторов глутамата, которые обеспечивают взаимосвязь кишечник-мозг при этих аутоиммунных воспалительных заболеваниях [28]. Проведённый нами ранее анализ содержания аутоантител к GluRc показал, что у большинства детей с ЯК и БК уровень аутоантител к NMDA GluRc значительно превышает нормальные значения для здоровых детей.…”

Evaluating the therapeutic potential of moxibustion on polycystic ovary syndrome: a rat model study on gut microbiota and metabolite interaction

“…Intestinal tract is known as the ‘ second brain ‘ of human beings. The metabolism of intestinal flora has important feedback-and-regulation effects on the physiological functions of the body ( Reutov and Sorokina, 2022 ). Research has demonstrated that metformin can ameliorate the metabolic and endocrine profiles of PCOS patients, as well as the diversity and abundance of intestinal flora ( Gan et al., 2023 ).…”