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Gut-Brain Connection Could Lead To a 'New Sense' (newatlas.com)
A new study has revealed a "fast-acting neural circuit allowing gut cells to communicate with the brain in just seconds," reports New Atlas. Diego Bohorquez, senior author of the study, says "these findings are going to be the biological basis of a new sense. One that serves as the entry point for how the brain knows when the stomach is full of food and calories." He says it "brings legitimacy to [the] idea of the 'gut feeling' as a sixth sense." The study has been published in the journal Science. From the report: Remarkable new work from a team of researchers at Duke University has now revealed a previously unknown direct circuit between the gut and the brain that could allow for fast sensory communication that doesn't relay on laborious hormonal signaling. The research began with a big discovery in 2015 revealing that enteroendocrine cells, the cells in our gut thought to be the primary sensory receptor that communicate with the brain, actually contained nerve endings that seemed like they could directly synaptically communicate with vagal neurons and subsequently, the brain.
The new study first revealed that direct, and near instant, communication occurred between the gut and brain. A mouse was administered with a rabies virus that had been engineered with a green fluorescent tag. Tracing the signal of communication as the gut informed the brain of this virus revealed an immediate response in the vagus nerve. In under 100 milliseconds a single signal was seen to travel from the gut to the brainstem. In order to understand this new neural circuit, the team grew enteroendocrine cells in a lab dish alongside vagal nerve neurons. Not only did these two elements rapidly demonstrate communication, but it was discovered that glutamate, a foundational neurotransmitter, modulated the rate of transmission. What this experiment impressively revealed was that enteroendocrine cells don't solely signal to the brain via hormonal triggers, but also can directly communicate via neural synapses.
The new study first revealed that direct, and near instant, communication occurred between the gut and brain. A mouse was administered with a rabies virus that had been engineered with a green fluorescent tag. Tracing the signal of communication as the gut informed the brain of this virus revealed an immediate response in the vagus nerve. In under 100 milliseconds a single signal was seen to travel from the gut to the brainstem. In order to understand this new neural circuit, the team grew enteroendocrine cells in a lab dish alongside vagal nerve neurons. Not only did these two elements rapidly demonstrate communication, but it was discovered that glutamate, a foundational neurotransmitter, modulated the rate of transmission. What this experiment impressively revealed was that enteroendocrine cells don't solely signal to the brain via hormonal triggers, but also can directly communicate via neural synapses.
It also has profound implications regarding the manipulation of appetite by the brain.
"We receive as friendly that which agrees with, we resist with dislike that which opposes us" - Faraday
I want to propagate a meme whereby any time a "new study" is cited, we ask reflexively, "has it been replicated?" Doing so seems to be the only way out of the replication crisis. We, as consumers of pop science, need to demand it.
Philosophistry
the gut being one of the greatest entry points into the body, it should have a fast connection to the brain in case something is not right that a conter-reaction is issues right away.
On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
This has been settled science for years. That glutamate affects the sensory response of the stomach to the introduction of food is not new.
High levels of glutamate in your food will make you feel full faster, causing you to eat less. You're hungry again 1/2 hour later because glutamate dissipates from the body quickly taking the sense of satiety with it.
This is why almost all chinese restaurants are buffet format. Patrons eat less because of all of the MSG.
>"He says it "brings legitimacy to [the] idea of the 'gut feeling' as a sixth sense."
More like the 12th or 16th "sense". I wish the whole "5 senses" thing from thousands of years ago would die already. I mean, anyone who doesn't immediately recognize a sense of balance or temperature or body position (or many others) as a "sense" doesn't understand the concept of sensing the world around them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
It generates it in the first place and in theory could modify it anyway it sees fit. The digestive system doesn't understand appetite - it just understands full, processing, empty and poison. Anything more than that is qualia generated by the brain.
Gut 6th sense? I see bread, people.
A new study has revealed a "fast-acting neural circuit allowing gut cells to communicate with the brain in just seconds,"
That's.... not very fast.
I tend to rant.