Consultant Digestive System Research Unit, University Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain,
Dig Dis. 2020;38(4):293-298. doi: 10.1159/000505810. Epub 2020 Feb 28.
Interactions between brain and gut have been suspected for centuries but our understanding of the neural centers and neurohormonal links that establish bidirectional regulatory communication between these 2 body systems has advanced significantly in the last decades. The label "brain-gut axis" designates a useful but deceivingly simple concept, since the mechanistic complexity of brain-gut interaction is enormous.
The significance of the brain-gut axis is perhaps best conceived as "a team" since both systems are physiologically coordinated to ensure a healthy status. However, under pathophysiological conditions, the axis also contributes substantially to distort homeostasis. For instance, normal signals emanating from the gut may be inappropriately received and interpreted by the central nervous system that responds by inadequately recruiting other brain structures and generate both symptoms and commands that disturb normal gut activity. Key Messages: Thus, at each end and in the brain-gut connecting routes, there is the potential for altering perceived and unperceived sensations and further impinging on normal function.
脑肠相互作用已被怀疑了几个世纪，但在过去几十年中，我们对建立这两个身体系统之间双向调节性通讯的神经中枢和神经激素联系的理解有了显著的进步。“脑肠轴”这一标签指定了一个有用但具有欺骗性的简单概念，因为脑肠相互作用的机制复杂性是巨大的。
脑肠轴的意义或许可以最好地理解为“一个团队”，因为这两个系统在生理上协调一致，以确保健康状态。然而，在病理生理条件下，该轴也对扰乱内稳态有很大的贡献。例如，来自肠道的正常信号可能会被中枢神经系统不适当地接收和解释，中枢神经系统通过不适当地招募其他大脑结构来做出反应，并产生干扰正常肠道活动的症状和指令。
因此，在每个末端和脑肠连接的途径中，都有可能改变感知和未感知的感觉，并进一步影响正常功能。
