The way to the mind of emotion: through the stomach.

The mind-gut axis… some would call a myth. Some would say it’s old wives tales… But the growing amount of evidence for the mind-gut axis says otherwise.

In recent studies, more evidence has surfaced of what the holistic enthusiasts have been saying all along; that perhaps the mind of emotion and the body are more connected than we’ve assumed. But how could it be? That goes against everything we tell ourselves… That we are in complete control of our minds, our emotions, our bodies- our health ultimately. And yet, are we?

Well… new findings show that our minds control our appetite. Perhaps that is not such a big shock… until you find out that the study itself was experimenting with altering the appetite of mice by using magnets to alter their brainwaves. That’s right- the mice actually showed definitive appetite changes(Khamasi, 2016.) So don’t worry about weight watchers this week, ladies, just get your husband to hold a magnet to your head and then you won’t be hungry.

The hunger of depression

And as interesting as that concept is, some have even taken it a step further. Various studies have shown a connection between stress, depression, anxiety, and the stomach. Researchers hypothesize this relationship to be mainly caused by microbiota- the microscopic organisms in our stomachs. Although it has not been determined for certain why this relationship exists, some hypothesize that it has to with the homeostasis of the organism as a whole(Allen, Dinan, Clarke, Cryan, 2017.) For example, when you have a stomach ache, you will probably not be in the greatest mood. In other words, your mind will be affected by your stomach. But the researchers took it a step further- they thought that perhaps you could be affected by what is going on in your stomach even if it was not dramatic enough to cause a conscious awareness of the fact that the stomach was what started the problem. The thought here is that your body can perhaps sense that it is not in homeostasis even when your conscious mind cannot.

The hunger of schizophrenia

Another example of this axis is the significant relationship between autoimmune disorders, gastrointestinal issues, and schizophrenia, which has been studied by researchers for over 50 years(Severance, Yolken, and Eaton, 2016.) The thought that this relationship could be significant is still a fairly new idea, so the research is not advanced enough to be much farther then the hypothesis stage. Despite this fact, the correlation is strong enough between people having schizophrenia having pre-existing gastrointestinal issues to raise questions in the minds of doctors and researchers. Many schizophrenic patients had celiac’s disease and/or intestinal sensitivity to certain foods. Others had irritable bowel syndrome. “In one autopsy study of 82 patients with schizophrenia, as many as 50% had gastritis, 88% enteritis and 92% colitis (Buscaino, 1953; Hemmings, 2004).”(Severance, Yolken, and Eaton, 2016.) Although this could be due to other causes, the numbers seem pretty high to be coincidental.

The hunger of the mind: Serotonin

Microbiota in the GI system are hypothesized to change mental health through several routes. One is through production of neurotransmitters. The stomach microbiota are known to produce various kinds of neurotransmitters, including serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and many others that impact mental health(Turna, 2016.) Not surprisingly, if there was something wrong with the microbiota in the gut, then the mind may not be able to receive the neurotransmitters necessary to experience a positive quality of life. Further, it has long been known that stress impacts the composition of the stomach microbiota, which can begin the vicious cycle. Ultimately, it has been shown that through the metabolic processes of these inappropriate microbiota, kynurenine production is favored over serotonin production, which leads to feelings of depression(Turna, 2016.)

Although this field is still young, a lot of research has showed that there is certainly a connection between the microbiota of the stomach and the mind. The implications of this correlation, including what steps should be taken to increase quality of life for those who suffer from mental illness, is still open to a world of possibilities.

Works Cited

Khamasi, R. (2016). Metabolism in the mind: New insights into the ‘gut-brain axis’ spur commercial efforts to target it. Nature Medicine, Vol. 22, Number 7, pg. 697–700. Retrieved from: http://www.nature.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/nm/journal/v22/n7/full/nm0716-697.html

Allen, A., Dinan, T., Clarke, G., Cryan, J. (2017). A psychology of the human brain–gut–microbiome axis. pg 1–22. University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. Retrieved from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/doi/10.1111/spc3.12309/pdf;jsessionid=A5835E1448EC8646B586A55BA17E1431.f03t01

Severance, E., Yolken, R., & Eaton, W. (2016). Autoimmune diseases, gastrointestinal disorders and the microbiome in schizophrenia: more than a gut feeling. Schizophrenia Research, 176(2016), 23–35. Retrieved from: http://ac.els-cdn.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/S0920996414003193/1-s2.0-S0920996414003193-main.pdf?_tid=534e7e56-52b7-11e7-9f87-00000aab0f01&acdnat=1497633478_79f1ed613432786e82631a27e296f3f2

Turna, J. (2016). “What’s bugging the gut in OCD?” A review of the gut microbiome in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Depression and Anxiety, Vol 33, Issue 3, pgs 171–178. Retrieved from: http://content.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/ContentServer.asp?T=P&P=AN&K=113445214&S=R&D=aph&EbscoContent=dGJyMNHX8kSep7U4yOvsOLCmr0%2BeqLBSs664SLSWxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMOPX8Yzr1%2BeGuePfgeyx44Dt6fIA

Photo by Alachua County. Mental illness. Creative Commons license Attribution Generic 2.0. Retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alachuacounty/12178605035/in/photolist-jybwYT-fvqJKk-gvNHPE-TsGFAo-fvEYSG-eEET1f-nS9V13-nS799x-nSaCRM-o9vRZm-5peeAH-iG9toG-aNtwoB-obqdU6-k8y2C4-fchY2n-nSakoS-idbgxS-UnSwZ7-nCSUdW-nuBVD7-7Ca5rS-nEgegr-aAoHjH-auDmhN-4B91sA-7p82d7-aF3MR3-dQfTxo-dAqXgQ-kraAnk-dSvA8C-nnT4zQ-eEEwSE-UXLVRi-dpWcfo-fbXS7C-dQacqK-riHdWp-fvEZDN-ezXFrr-6wiofQ-aDa4AY-56tRtg-6WUDrM-nt7m4B-ezVoT8-7f9tdB-nCu36D-9eKt4C