X-Cited Science Magazine - No:2

Science Check
32
Gut Microbiota and The Brain
Do Gut Bacteria Control Us?
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By Selin Z.
Our emotions and behaviors are shaped by microbes.
We might not be the real hosts of our bodies.
Neuroscientists were mostly
focused on how the brain affects
the organs, including the gut.
However, recently conducted
studies in animals have claimed
that gut bacteria might influence
both physiological health, and
interestingly, mental health. The
new studies also suggest that even
our emotions and social behaviors
are shaped by gut bacterial species.
More bacteria are living inside
you than your own cells. A study,
conducted by Ron Sender and his
colleagues, stated that the number
of bacteria is 1.3 times higher than
the number of human cells. It is
estimated that there are about 39
trillion bacteria and 30 trillion
human cells in the body. Because of
this reason, we might not be the real
hosts of our bodies. Starting from
birth, the diversity and abundance
of microorganisms in our bodies
increase over time. Besides being
found in the entire body, those
microbes mostly develop in the
intestines that occupy a 32 m 2
surface area in healthy adults.
The gut bacteria are crucial for our
health and immune system. They
play a vital role in synthesizing
vitamins and creating energy from
the foods that we consume. They
block pathogens from entering
the body and causing disorders.
But recent studies showed that
gut bacteria are also able to
communicate directly with the
brain through the vagus nerve (the
connective nerve between the brain
and the gut), through the immune
cells, and the chemicals that they
produce.