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The Gut-brain

Define the terms enteric nervous system and microbiome. Then read the article about the Gut-brain axis: How the microbiome influences anxiety and depression by Foster and Neufeld (2013) in Trends in Neuroscience. Explain how our microbiome contributes to digestion and how microbes can activate pathways in the CNS. How does this relate to digestion?

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The enteric nervous system, in short, is the gut's brain. The enteric nervous system sends and receives impulses, records experiences and responds to emotions. The nerve cells of the system receive the signals of neurotransmitters, and react to them. The gut can cause problems for the brain, just as the brain can cause problems for the gut.

A microbiome is the set of all the microorganisms and their collective genetic material present in a particular environment, such as our bodies.

Microbiota are the ...

Solution Summary

This solution discusses the gut brain.