THE ENTERIC NERVOUS SYSTEM

I have been researching the enteric nervous system and I think it is something we all need to know about, get to grips with and try to understand what it all actually means for us. One thing is for sure: Western Medicine took a serious mis-turn some centuries back when it tried to separate "body" and "mind", and only now is it starting to catch up with the science of the day, which in turn is only now catching up with more ancient wisdom and knowledge. We as a society desperately need to let go of the myths around health which we have indoctrinated ourselves with, to take a step back to where we went wrong, and take the other path. Here are my executive summary notes, based on the wikipedia article:

"The enteric nervous system (ENS) consists of neurons [thats "brain cells" to you and me!!!] which govern the function of the gastrointestinal tract. It is now usually referred to as separate from the spinal/brain's nervous system since it has its own independent reflex activity. The ENS is also called the second brain."

"The ENS in humans consists of some 500 million neurons, one two-hundredth of the number of neurons in the brain, five times as many as the one hundred million neurons in the human spinal cord, and about 2/3 as many as in the whole nervous system of a cat. The enteric nervous system is embedded in the lining of the gastrointestinal system, beginning in the esophagus and extending down to the anus."

[...our gut instinct is nearly as intelligent as that of a cat....!?!?]

"The neurons of the ENS are collected in the muscular layer responsible for gut movement such as smooth muscle movements in the intestinal wall, which move food along the tract."

"The ENS can operate autonomously, but it normally communicates with the "spinal" nervous system's "rest & digest" mode via the Vagus Nerve an "fight-flight-or-freeze" mode via the prevertebral ganglia) nervous systems. However, vertebrate studies show that when the Vagus Nerve is severed, the enteric nervous system continues to function."

[...the Vagus Nerve... fight-flight-or-freeze... themes which are arising a lot lately... also reminds us of those stuides which show that when the Vagus Nerve is surgical severed, it provides a massive protective factor for preventing Parkinson's Disease...why???]

"The ENS is capable of carrying reflexes and acting as an integrating center completely independently. The sensory neurons report on mechanical and chemical conditions. Through intestinal muscles, the motor neurons control peristalsis and churning of intestinal contents. Other neurons control the secretion of enzymes."

[But now here is something which made my own jaw drop:]

"The enteric nervous system also makes use of more than 30 neurotransmitters, most of which are identical to the ones found in the brain, such as acetylcholine, dopamine, and serotonin. More than 90% of the body's serotonin lies in the gut, as well as about 50% of the body's dopamine."

[What are the implications of this? For example, does this mean if supplies are limited, such as for dopamine in PD or serotonin in depression, and/or nutrional absorption is poor, that there will be competition between the brain and the gut as to which gets the limited supplies of building blocks of these neurotransmitters...?]

To be continued...

[Index for this series of posts:

THE ENTERIC NERVOUS SYSTEM https://bit.ly/gutbrain1

THE BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER https://bit.ly/gutbrain2

THE OTHER BRAIN https://bit.ly/gutbrain3

TRUTH ABOUT OUR BRAINS - BOTH OF THEM https://bit.ly/gutbrain4

THE CASE OF THE LEAKY GUT https://bit.ly/gutbrain5

NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE: BODY-UP NOT BRAIN-DOWN https://bit.ly/gutbrain6

]