The Brain in Our Belly

I have always had a deep interest in biology & anatomy. The more I learn about living systems, the more I am utterly amazed.

Recently, I have been particularly curious about our digestive system & the details of its workings on a microscopic level. I have been posting about the connection between the microorganisms in the gut and how they affect us, without us even being aware of its influence. The microbes in our digestive tract can affect our metabolism, food cravings, and even our mood or personality traits.

The Monkey Buddha Archives:

Gut Microbes

I saw this informative post about another important aspect of our gut that we don't think a lot about, even though it is our "second brain". I'm referring to the complex array of 500 million nerve cells that line our digestive organs, called the enteric nervous system, or ENS.

neurosciencestuff.tumblr

Gut Instincts: The Secrets of Your Second Brain

This system of nerve cells in our gut are not only responsible for controlling digestion. It is also being found to have complex effects on our overall physical health & mental states.

The ENS is a part of our unimaginably complex feedback loop of physical & chemical stimuli that regulates body function. The chemical processes controlled by these neurons in our gut include the creation of hormones & neurotransmitters.

This is important because the creation of neurochemicals such as serotonin (the "feel good" molecule) & dopamine (the "pleasure & reward" molecule) by these cells could affect our physical sensations & perhaps even our personality or mood.

As we gain more knowledge about the intricately interconnected nature of all these subtle systems in the human body, we will also gain better insight into all aspects of the human being. Disease, mental disorders, physical ailments, and the keys to healthy & happy living will all be understood better.

This will lead to an ever-improving quality of life for people who are willing to take steps to improve their interaction with their own body. This can be done through better diet and healthier lifestyle, as a result of more conscious attention to the workings of our wonderfully complex biological systems.

Symbiotic Life

I have been reading a lot of material lately about the effect of our microbiome on the body & mind. The microbiome is the collection of single-celled microorganisms throughout our living tissues.

In fact, the number of bacterial cells far outweighs the number of actual human cells. Physically, we are a biological vehicle for genes & also for other organisms.

We mostly live in a positive symbiosis with these tiny creatures living throughout our body.

NY Times:

 In Good Health? Thank Your 100 Trillion Bacteria

I've long suspected that these microorganisms have had a greater effect on us than we'd like to admit.

Now, it's being discovered that gut microbes affect our eating habits, and even our psychology.

Psychology Today:

Gut Feeling: How Bacteria Manipulates Your Brain

Even the act of intimate kissing is an exchange of billions of bacteria.

Science Daily:

Up to 80 million bacteria sealed with a kiss

This is why, despite liking cleanliness, I'm not really a germaphobe. I feel that we are surrounded by and infused with microorganisms, so it's nothing to fear.

However, reading this NatGeo article about the destructive symbiosis of invasive parasites & seeing the accompanying photos might make someone change their mind- if the parasites haven't already done it for them...

National Geographic:

Mindsuckers

Mindsuckers: Photo Gallery

George Lucas was ridiculed for including "Midichlorians" in the Star Wars prequel movies, as the microbiological source of the mystical energy field surrounding all living things- The Force.

Like so many things, Lucas was actually prescient in his recognition of the influence of symbiotic microbes on a living being.

Gut Health & Mental Health

There are so many things that influence our state of physical & mental being that are interrelated, yet we are relatively unaware of them.

One thing I've been interested in for awhile now is the relationship between the microbiome in the gut & it's effect on not just our physical well-being, but also our mind and emotions.

Science Focus: 

Psychobiotics: Your Microbiome Has the Potential to Improve Your Mental Health, Not Just Your Gut Heath

When you see the entire human body has a fully-integrated system of trillions of cells, bacteria and other microorganisms, this idea of seemingly separate parts influencing each other seems less far-fetched.

The gut-brain connection results from chemical signals being produced by the microbes in the intestines affecting the nerve endings in the digestive system, which travel up the vagus nerve into the brain. 

There is also speculation that gut bacteria digest fiber to produce fatty acids that travel through the blood stream & have an epigenetic effect on gene expression in brain cells.

Whatever the mechanism may be, there is a clear link between what we eat and both our physical & mental state. Getting proper nutrition is not the only dietary concern, but we should also be mindful of how the food we eat could possibly lead to inflammation or other effects that could influence our overall heath.

The Human Being is an Ecosystem

a bacterium... on a diatom... on an amphipod

I've been seeing alot of interesting articles about the billions of micro-organisms that make up our body.

Even though we spend our lives thinking of ourselves as individuals, singular beings... we are actually walking ecologies, full of tiny creatures inside & out.

The fact of the matter is that each of us contains more bacteria than human cells!

Through new imaging techniques & computer graphics, technology is allowing us to visualize the complex microscopic worlds contained within the body:

XVIVO Scientific Animation

 Daily Mail:

Breathtaking Animated Simulations

 of the World Within the HUMAN BODY

Despite being a fairly neat person, I'm not really a germaphobe, so none of this information really bothers me. It's just the way things are, & nobody can be a fully-sanitized, immaculately clean person.  With that in mind, here's some headlines that may fascinate you, gross you out, or both.

BBC:  

Feet Home to More Than 100 Fungi 

Smithsonian Magazine:

Microbes: The Trillions of Creatures Governing Your Health


Design you Trust;

Your Daily Tech Habits are Making You Sick

(Infographic)

Microorganisms in our body may also be affecting our thought processes, in ways we don't fully understand:

Sci-News:

Study Reveals Changes in Gut Microflora 

Can Affect Brain Function

There is also a mystical aspect to the idea that our bodies are communal biological vessels, teeming with life throughout.

Prehistoric Shamanism:
We Are Not Alone: 

The Shamanic Implications 

of Our Body’s Microorganisms 

Alot of people criticized George Lucas's revelation in the Star Wars prequels- that "The Force" was actually a field that interacted with tiny organisms called Midichlorians. I thought this was actually a good way to explain the mechanism behind Force-sensitive beings. This symbiosis mirrors the interaction between life on the macro & microscopic scales in the real world.

What we should try to understand is that Life is infinitely complex, & the deeper we look into its processes, the more questions will arise. We have alot to learn about the processes in even the simplest forms of life:

Wired:

There’s No Such Thing as a ‘Simple’ Organism

Finally, here's a way of looking at our symbiosis with microbes that might be more creepy than comforting:

seen on Cheezburger

Microbial Meditations

This weekend my friend who I've know all my life & who's going to med school in NY, was in town. We basically stayed in his pool & drank beers all afternoon on Saturday, when the temp was 100º+. We always have great conversations & now he's becoming even more knowledgeable about medicine & science, in general.

Some of our talking about physiology & also the microscopic world made me think of a few articles I've seen recently. They're about micro-organisms, the tiny lifeforms that make up most of our 'being'.

Wikipedia:

Composition of the Human Body

We "human beings" are more of an ecology of life, rather than 'individual' entities.

NYTimes:

In Good Health? Thank Your 100 Trillion Bacteria

Bacteria aren't the only symbiotic life forms within our skin...

Gizmodo: 

The Weird Fungus That Lives In Your Gut

Here is a clickable graphic, showing the various things throughout our body:

Scientific American:

 Explore the Human Microbiome [Interactive]

On a more disturbing note, there's evidence that micro-organisms may also be able to directly effect a more complex animal (like a human).

 Raw Story: 

Studies Suggest That Microbes Can Control Our Minds

People gave George Lucas alot of crap for adding the 'Midi-chlorian' concept to the Star Wars universe, but I thought it was an interesting angle. The idea of trillions of tiny, living things creating energy fields that can be sensed or manipulated is an explanation that mirrors the vital necessity of these unseen organisms in the real world.

One thing I love about modern computing is the ability to visualize the reality that lies beyond our immediate senses. There've been many animations created that make processes on the cosmic & microscopic scales able to be easily understood. 

This is a good video showing the life of the dreaded flu virus:

Finally, here's a remix of a Bjork song I came across while searching Google for things in this post. Leave it to her awesome craziness to write a song comparing love to a virus.