#brain-gut-axis

[composerinprogress]

does anyone want my excess seratonin or dopamine

I switched to a new prebiotic/probiotic/postbiotic supplement with strains that boost seratonin, dopamine and GABA

I am FEELING IT

[bpod-bpod]

Gut Feelings

“Trust your gut” goes the advice, but the 'second brain' in our intestines is already guiding us through life. Researchers believe chemical messages passed through the gut-brain axis affect our mental health, shaping our thoughts and behaviours. They may also hold clues to brain disorders. Here an advanced form of electron tomography virtually strips back layers of tissue in a mouse’s intestine to highlight one of several gland-like crypts in green. Crypts usually produced chemicals needed for gut health, but its pattern of cells (yellow and blue) is different to healthy crypts. This mouse suffers from symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s disease, perhaps revealing links between a malfunctioning ‘dysbiotic’ gut and neurodegeneration. Spotting similar signs in our similar tissues may lead to early diagnosis and more effective management of human Alzheimer’s disease.

Written by John Ankers

Video from work by Francesca Palermo and colleagues

Institute of Nanotechnology – CNR, Rome, Italy

Video contributed by the authors under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence

Published in Science Advances, January 2025

You can also follow BPoD on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Bluesky

[mierstaer]

aiolia and camus have so much potential when it comes to imagining a friendship between them and I’m sad that the fandom fails to see that most of the time

also I think that the aiolia-milo-camus trio also has some very funny dynamics going on when you think about it (third wheeling aiolia I’m looking at you)

[truthundressing]

its a bed desk kinda day :/

[ancientroyalblood]

The Importance of Gut Health: Foods and Habits to Improve Digestion

Gut health plays a crucial role in overall wellness, influencing everything from digestion and immune function to mental health and energy levels. The gut, often referred to as the “second brain,” contains trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms that work together to break down food, absorb nutrients, and protect against harmful pathogens. Maintaining a healthy gut is essential for…

[whatever-you-can-give-me]

and here's a research paper i found really interesting about the gut-brain-skin axis, on the prevalence of neuropsychiatric disorders & gastrointestinal issues in people with rosacea.

comorbid disorders are either like "yeah ok, makes sense" or "what the fuck"

adhd and autism having a high comorbidity rate? yeah checks out

adhd and autism both having high rates of comorbidity with hypermobility and GI issues? thats an evil curse

[notmumtoday]

"Gut health nutrition focuses on optimizing digestive health through diet and lifestyle interventions. A healthy gut is essential for overall well-being, as it impacts digestion, nutrient absorption, immune function, and even mental health. At Appetite for Nutrition, we specialize in providing personalized nutrition plans to support and enhance gut health."

[venacesaur]

I might be getting a lab position in my dream research topic EVERYONE PRAY FOR ME

[drmilindcom]

How Your Gut Bacteria Influence Your Mood & Behavior

Gut Bacteria Influence Your Mood & Behavior Have you ever felt “butterflies” in your stomach before a big event? Or experienced a gut feeling that something just wasn’t right? These sensations aren’t just random—they’re signs of the powerful connection between your gut and your brain. Emerging research reveals that the trillions of bacteria living in your digestive system, known as the gut…

[great-health-stuff]

[lilaeso]

Nagyon jó kérdés, és örülök, hogy érdekel, mert a bél-agy tengely az egyik legizgalmasabb, legaktuálisabb témája a modern orvostudománynak és pszichológiának. 🌱🧠

Szóval dőlj hátra, jön a tudomány + emberközeli magyarázat mix:

🧠💩 Mi az a bél-agy tengely?

A bél-agy tengely (gut-brain axis) egy kétirányú kommunikációs rendszer a központi idegrendszer (agy, gerincvelő) és a bélrendszer (főleg a bélidegrendszer) között. Ez a kapcsolat nemcsak idegi, hanem hormonális, immunológiai és mikrobiom-alapú is.

Más szóval: a bél nem csak „emészt”, hanem beszélget az aggyal – és viszont.

🧠➡️💩 Agy hat a belekre

Amikor stresszelsz, izgulsz vagy szorongsz, biztos ismerős:

hasmenés vagy székrekedés

"pillangók a gyomorban"

hányinger vizsga előtt

étvágytalanság vagy túlevés

Ez mind azt mutatja, hogy az agy befolyásolja az emésztőrendszert.

💩➡️🧠 De visszafelé is igaz: a bél hat az agyra!

Ez az, ami sokáig nem volt közismert. A bélben található:

100 millió idegsejt – ez a „második agy”

egy rakás hormontermelő sejt (pl. szerotonin: 90%-a itt termelődik!)

és több billió baktérium, amit mikrobiomnak hívunk

Ezek jeleket küldenek az agynak, befolyásolva:

hangulatot

memóriát

alvást

fájdalomérzetet

sőt, még a mentális betegségeket is (pl. depresszió, szorongás)

🦠 Mikrobiom – a bél baktériumai = agyi hatások

Egyensúlyban lévő mikrobiom: ✔️ javítja a hangulatot ✔️ csökkenti a gyulladást ✔️ támogatja az immunrendszert ✔️ jobb koncentrációt, alvást, kedvet ad

Felborult mikrobiom (pl. stressz, antibiotikum, rossz étrend miatt): ❌ szorongás ❌ depresszió ❌ IBS (irritábilis bél szindróma) ❌ fáradtság, ködös gondolkodás

🔄 Kommunikációs utak

A bél-agy tengely kommunikációja több csatornán zajlik:

Bolygóideg (nervus vagus) – ez egy „szupersztráda” az agy és bél között.

Hormonok – pl. kortizol, szerotonin, ghrelin (éhséghormon), leptin (jóllakottság).

Immunrendszer – gyulladásos jelek közvetítésével.

Bélbaktériumok által termelt anyagok – például neurotranszmitterek.

🧘‍♀️ Mi támogatja ezt a tengelyt?

Prebiotikus és probiotikus ételek (pl. savanyú káposzta, kefir, joghurt, rostok)

Stresszkezelés (pl. jóga, meditáció, sport)

Pihentető alvás

Mozgás

Minimális feldolgozott élelmiszer

Természetes fény, cirkadián ritmus tisztelete

💡 És a legizgalmasabb:

Ma már „pszichobiotikumoknak” nevezik azokat a probiotikumokat, amik pozitív hatással lehetnek a mentális egészségre! 😲

Ha érdekel, szívesen ajánlok könyvet, podcastot vagy konkrét probiotikumokat is, amik segíthetnek a tengely karbantartásában. Egyébként te inkább az emésztés, a hangulat, vagy a stressz-kezelés felől közelítenéd meg ezt a témát?

[nourishtlife]

Fermented Foods Exposed: What Happens When You Don’t Eat Them?

1. Introduction2. Fermented Foods and Gut Health3. Fermented Foods and Mood Regulation4. Gut Inflammation and Mental Health5. Prebiotics in Fermented Foods6. Fermented Foods and Cognitive Function7. Incorporating Fermented Foods into a Balanced DietReferences: 1. Introduction The gut-brain axis is a fascinating bidirectional communication network that links the gastrointestinal system with the…

[inkintheinternet]

Unmasking the World of Microorganisms

(Part 1)

By Arjuwan Lakkdawala

Ink in the internet

Microorganisms, what are they? Most of us are familiar with bacteria and viruses, especially after Covid-19, I think precautionary and basic hygiene procedures of social distancing, hand washing, and sanitizers have become universally known.

But there remains a baffling question, why did the pandemic happen? Why couldn’t our modern technology, medicine, and sterilization methods contain the virus. It went on for years and resulted in the deaths of about 7 million people worldwide.

There are two terms that can explain this tragic phenomena in a nutshell: mutations and airborne.  

Scientists couldn’t keep up with the speed by which the influenza virus mutates, and they couldn’t contain the air. The virus is not airborne like spores or carbon dioxide pollutants, but respiratory particles breathed or coughed, sneezed, by infected persons could stay in the air for hours, making the virus partially airborne and that was enough for disaster to unfold upon humanity.

But what about the origin of novel viruses as it is said that Covid-19 was. Disease ecologist Professor Thomas Gillespie says deforestation and wet markets have a similar effect in crowding animals together where germs can jump species to infect humans – which is known as a spillover event, in wet markets perhaps it is even worse because the animals are being butchered and their blood is mixing. Bats like humans are mammals and carry various pathogens due to the large number of species of bats, and their diet that ranges from fish, fruits, and insects, etc. We are at greater risk by pathogens in mammals because it is easier for a spillover event to happen.

Till recently it was believed that bacteria couldn’t jump species as easily as viruses, but studies are showing that bacteria can overcome hurdles and mutate to survive in a new host of another species.

One of the studies that claims to have shown this for the first time is of the “bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, which can infect humans and animals.” – The University of Edinburgh.

If this wasn’t enough we are approaching the “post antibiotic era” and AMR (anti-microbial resistance) is increasing with several different types of pathogens in the world of microorganisms. Bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, protozoa, etc.

The World Health Organization website states that even the effectiveness of last-resort antibiotics like Carbapenems is getting compromised.

“What Have We Learned by Resurrecting the 1918 Influenza Virus?”

This virus is also known as the Spanish Flu, notorious for killing 50-100 million worldwide, of which were 43,000 U.S soldiers, the pandemic happened during WW1, and those soldiers were deployed for combat.

Scientists in the 1990s were able to clone the virus from traces of its RNA found in the remains of 1918 victims.

Like seeds bacteria can be dormant till the environment is favourable and they get nutrients. The duration is very different though. Seeds can be dormant for some years, while bacteria spores could last centuries and then spring back to life and cause an outbreak.  

So what makes these microscopic entities so resilient and a challenge to modern medicine and technology? Why are they a great threat to humanity?

“Mother Nature is a Serial Killer,”  it’s a quote from the 2013 movie WWZ.

And it’s very true, we cannot let our guards down, because nature will eventually churn out a deadly virus or bacteria or any other mortal enemy from her reservoir of microorganisms.

What scientists have discovered till this point in history is that microorganisms live on our skin, they live in our gut – each of us has a microbiome unique to us.

There have been recent contested findings that suggest we might have a microbiome even in our brains. Traditionally, the healthy brain is considered to be a sterile environment. But some findings detected bacteria DNA in sequencing, however, the findings were vehemently rejected by a portion of scientists as contamination and not evidence that the DNA detected was indeed from bacteria living in a healthy brain. One of the main causes for this reasoning was given that the blood-brain barrier BBB is almost impermeable to microorganisms. The cases where old age or disease could lead to invasion by microorganisms is considered not the norm but cases of compromised immunity due to illness.  

However, scientists on both sides of the spectrum are studying the gut-brain axis of signaling between microbiota in the gut and neurons in the brain.

There are more nerves in your gut than any other part of your body except the brain, and this talk between the brain and gut affects our  physical and mental state.

Let’s understand some basic things about what happens in a bacterial infection. When we are infected the bacterial colony starts to multiply and it can then through quorum-sensing behave like one multicellular entity attacking your cells and feeding on your nutrients, they can multiply in hours, making every minute crucial to survival of the infected.

Quorum-sensing is something like a domino effect, where one bacterium signals another, and then soon the whole colony behave in unison.  

So can microorganisms think? In the case of the Rabies virus, there is the astonishing fact of how the virus after travelling to the brain from the location of entry into the bloodstream, exits the brain after totally damaging it, and collects in the saliva, where it is very likely to spread and repeat its cycle if the infected is an animal, source Kurzgesagt video.

We just read that the BBB is practically impermeable in healthy individuals, so how does the rabies virus get in? The virus has a basic shape like a capsule and five proteins, one or more of those proteins are used by the virus to hijack the neural pathways leading into the brain. Scientists don’t know how the Rabies virus reverses course and exits the brain to accumulate in the saliva.

Fortunately and unfortunately the nature of most viruses and bacteria is double, they can live peacefully on our skin and in our guts, even be beneficial to us, and they can turn into pathogens and make us very ill and even kill us. This all depends on two factors: 1. compromised immune system, due to a novel or mutated virus or bacterium, or  2. compromised immune system due to immune deficiency disorders.

When our immune system is compromised against microorganisms our only line of defense is medication. The antibiotic-resistance, is detrimental even to patients suffering from a viral infection – where antivirals are needed for treatment, but viral infections often lead to secondary bacterial infections.

If this wasn’t a serious enough and complex problem to solve, scientists want to bioengineer synthetic bacteria with reversed geometry. Better known as mirror-life bacteria. In the microscopic universe bacteria like these could be invisible to other microorganisms and to antibodies in our system, they may not be able to infect because their chirality that is reversed to what is naturally created, could prevent them from binding to biological receptors – one of the main infection methods.

However, life finds a way, and they could mutated to infect and be completely invisible to antibiotics. The implications of how dangerous such bacteria could be, and how they could escape labs into the wild is endless.

Copyright © Arjuwan Lakkdawala 2025

Arjuwan Lakkdawala is an author and independent science researcher.

X-Twitter/Instagram: Spellrainia Email: arjuwan.writer@gmail.com

Sources:

Harvard Medical School – How Dormant Bacteria Return to Life, Jake Miller

National Library of Medicine – What Have We Learned by Resurrecting the 1918 Influenza Virus?, Brad Gilbertson, Annu Rev Virol

Emory University – Spillover: Why germs jump species from animals to people, Carol Clark

The University of Edinburgh – Bacteria overcome hurdles to jump between species

Science Daily, Asociación RUVID – Bacteria jump between species more easily than previously thought

Cleveland Clinic – The Gut-Brain Connection

Quadram Institute – How the gut microbiome affects the brain and mind

Quadram Institute – Is there a “brain microbiome”? No

American Society for Microbiology – How Quorum Sensing Works

Wyss institute – Researchers call for global discussion about possible risks from “mirror Bacteria”

Britannica – Influenza pandamic of 1918-19, written and fact-checked by the editors of encyclopedia Britannica

[manojgupta321]

Understanding the Brain-Gut Axis in Autism Treatment

Introduction

The connection between the brain and the gut, often referred to as the brain-gut axis, has become a focal point in understanding autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Emerging research highlights the role of gut health in managing autism symptoms, shedding light on a holistic approach to treatment.

The Brain-Gut Axis Explained

The brain-gut axis refers to the bidirectional communication between the central nervous system (brain) and the enteric nervous system (gut). This connection influences emotions, cognition, and overall behavior. In individuals with autism, imbalances in the gut microbiota are believed to exacerbate symptoms, including digestive issues, mood disturbances, and cognitive challenges.

Role of Gut Health in Autism

Microbiota Imbalance: Studies indicate that individuals with ASD often exhibit an imbalance in gut bacteria, known as dysbiosis, which may contribute to behavioral and gastrointestinal symptoms.

Dietary Interventions: Diets like gluten-free and casein-free (GFCF) are explored for their potential to improve gut health and alleviate autism-related challenges.

Probiotics and Prebiotics: These supplements help restore gut balance, potentially reducing ASD symptoms.

Exploring Holistic Autism Treatment

Incorporating gut health into autism treatment emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach. Along with traditional therapies, addressing gut microbiota can improve quality of life for individuals with ASD.

For a deeper dive into the brain-gut axis’s role in autism treatment, visit the India Autism Center’s detailed blog post.

Conclusion

The brain-gut axis opens new avenues for autism treatment, merging dietary, medical, and therapeutic approaches. Understanding and supporting this critical connection can pave the way for more effective, personalized care for individuals with autism.

[notmumtoday]

We often think of mental health as something that happens solely in the brain, but science tells us there’s a much bigger story. Your gut—yes, your digestive system—plays a surprising role in how you feel emotionally. In fact, improving your gut health could be a powerful way to support your mood and mental wellbeing.