Gut Healing

Forgoing a diet for a sweet treat is a classic case of thinking with our stomachs, but the connection between the brain and gut runs much deeper than that, potentially affecting how our immune system responds to micro-organisms. Researchers working on nematode worms, pictured with their guts highlighted in green, found that several neurotransmitters, signalling molecules used in the brain, impacted their immunity. In particular, blocking the dopamine signalling pathway, typically associated with rewarding sensations and addiction, made the worms more resistant to a common bacterial pathogen in the gut, while increased dopamine made them more vulnerable. Input from the brain via dopamine might thus function to keep the immune system in check, preventing it from over-reacting and harming helpful gut bacteria. Demonstrating a similar relationship between the brain and gut immunity in humans could suggest radically new ways of treating infectious and immune diseases, by targeting the nervous system instead.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Emmanuelle Briolat

Writer

A researcher specialising in visual signals in Lepidoptera, camouflage and the effects of light pollution, Emmanuelle’s writing covers a range of topics, from biomedical research to children’s books about moth defences.

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• Image from work by Xiou Cao and Alejandro Aballay
• Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
• Image copyright Elsevier 2016
• Published in Current Biology, September 2016