The Second Brain
The Connection Between Our Gut and Our Mind
The brain and body are our two most basic parts, and you may be wondering whats up with the idea of a second brain. Well, this idea is a relatively recent neuro-scientific development which links our gut's bacteria to the way our brain functions.
The gut itself has over 100 million neurons and comprises what's known as the Enteric Nervous System (ENS, for short). These neurons are not so much for thinking, but rather they communicate with areas inside the brain via the Vagus nerve. This communication in-part explains why you will feel 'butterflies' in your stomach when nervous.
Our stomachs can house anywhere between 10 to 100 trillion bacteria, all of which help make us unique. At the moment of our birth, however, we are entirely sterile; our microbiome is then cultured during the first 3 years of life. This is to say that our bacterial make-up can be considered an individual "fingerprint" shaped by our environment, rather than given at birth.
Our gut fauna not only serve as an identifier but as a host of other responsibilities too:
- It shapes our immune system
- It produces neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin
- It influences our tastes and our propensity for obesity
- It impacts our personality and our mental health
This idea has been taken further as well, and been applied to depression. One theory of depression is that it is caused by reduced neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, in other words, the brain's ability to reshape itself and form new connections. Growth factors are paramount to these functions, and where are most growth factors and their precursors made? You guessed it: the gut.
All in all, the gut is a powerful force on the mind. So in order to take good care of our minds, perhaps we should consider how we treat our stomachs as well.
Sources:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282448777_The_role_of_immune_system_maturation_in_gut-microbiota-brain_axis_communication
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306069083_Neurotransmitters_The_Critical_Modulators_Regulating_Gut-Brain_Axis
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301774982_Catecholamines_Facilitate_Fuel_Expenditure_and_Protect_Against_Obesity_via_a_Novel_Network_of_the_Gut-Brain_Axis_in_Transcription_Factor_Skn-1-deficient_Mice
http://neuroscienceresearch.wustl.edu/userfiles/file/Gut_brain%20axis%20How%20the%20microbiome%20influences%20anxiety%20and%20depression_Tran%20%20%20.pdf
About the Creator
Jesse Nietmann
One guy just trying to help people understand themselves a bit better
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