Leading research traces a brain to the gut connection between stress and ulcers Brooklyn NY

American neuroscientists, including those working out of the University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute, have linked a connection between the stomach and the brain by studying the neural pathways which connect the two. A major find from these studies is an explanation of how stress can cause the development of stomach ulcers. If you are one of many who suffer from stress-induced ulcers and are in the Brooklyn, NY area, you should reach out to Dr. Shapsis at Atlantic Gastroenterology, a state-of-the-art clinic based in the New York area which specializes in all aspects of gastroenterology.

It is a Two-Way Street

For years, studies done on how your gut and brain interact with each other focused primarily on how the gut influences the brain. Scientists are now finding this is not just a one-way street, and the brain can play a significant role in gut functions as well. Dr. Peter Strick from the University of Pittsburgh posts that environmental factors and past experiences play a significant role in how an individual’s digestive system functions. Stress can play a negative role in these functions. This may explain why there is an uptick in death from stomach ulcers when there are increased unemployment rates.

Finding the brain regions that control gut reactions required injecting rats with a strain of rabies virus into the stomach to observe track connections from brain to stomach. What was observed is that the rabies virus that was injected into the gut hopped across neurons to reach the brain. It revealed the areas of the brain which may control the gut. The brain region that the rabies made it to, called the rostral insula, is responsible for emotion regulation and visceral sensation. The ability to identify these neural pathways which provide a connection from the brain to the gut will hopefully continue to provide fresh insight into many other gut disorders outside of ulcers.

If you are suffering from any number of stomach or digestive disorders, please give Dr. Shapsis at Atlantic Gastroenterology a call. Dr. Shapsis continues to strive for excellence in gastrointestinal treatment and in-patient care. For an appointment, please call 718 521-2840.