It is a well known fact that the composition and health of the gut plays a crucial role in the health of the brain and nervous system. Gut bacteria composition can have an effect on your mental health, increasing your risk of anxiety, depression and Parkinson’s disease.
The brain is the most neurally dense part of the body, followed surprisingly by the gut. There are an estimated 500 million neurons that reside within the gut and they play a crucial role within the enteric nervous system. Interneurons and integrating centres exist within the gut that enable it to carry out reflexes and functions without the assistance of the brain, however the brain communicates with the gut through the vagus nerve.
The gut is responsible for producing approximately 90% of serotonin and 50% of the body’s dopamine, which if disrupted, can have major implications in the functioning of the brain and mood.
The gut has a number of physiological barriers that prevent harmful substances from entering the bloodstream. If these barriers are lost, the body becomes more susceptible to disease as well as attack from the body’s own immune system cells.
The Vagus Nerve
The vagus nerve, located off the brainstem, is responsible for connecting the body’s vital organs. As stated above, the vagus nerve plays an important role in the communication between the brain and gut. The brain carries the role of being the biological thermostat for other functions within the body, one including the regulation of the immune system. Changes to the bacteria in the gut can cause neuroinflammation (inflammation of the brain), and damage to the brain can disrupt the functionality of the gut. Many researchers suspect that the vagus nerve is the central bridge responsible for explaining these phenomena.
Concussions and the gut
We can identify a Gut- Brain issue through Heart Rate Variability assessments
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