One of the most pleasurable things we do daily is eat. Yet, how the gut and the brain make sense of food is only beginning to emerge. The rampant spread of disorders linked to gut-brain signaling - anorexia, IBS, obesity, Parkinson’s, PTSD to name a few - requires innovative approaches to develop e”ective therapies. Recent advances in bioengineering and molecular tools are enabling the study of the gut-brain interface at the level of single cells.
Optogenetics, intestinal organoids, and nerve-machine interfaces are just a few of the tools helping scientists to untangle biosensors, neurocircuits, and behaviors trapped between the gut and the brain. This Special Review Series highlights 18 carefully selected manuscripts covering the leading edge of gut brain biology.
From gut microbes that produce brain neurotransmitters to diseases previously ascribed solely to the brain, the authors discuss emerging concepts in a rapidly expanding field. As the human population is projected to reach the 10-billion mark by 2050, the future of food is “where the gut meets the brain”.
Footnotes
Contributing authors
Alcmène Chalazonitis, Meenakshi Rao
Anthony J. Treichel, Gianrico, ArthurBeydei
Aydin Farajidavar
Bradley B. Barth, Xiling Shen
Carolina R. Cawthon, Claire B. de La Serre
Chelsea Xu, Guillaume de Lartigue
Gary Schwartz
Henry H. Kou, William Parker
Jon F. Davis
Maxime M. Mahe j
Melanie Maya Kaelberer, Diego V. Bohórquez
Mohamed A. Ali, Alexxai V. Kravitz
Nick J. Spenser, Tim J. Hubberd
Nicole A. Pelot, Warren M. Grill
Philip Strandwitz
Rodger A. Liddle
Simon Valès, Melissa Touvron, LaurianneVan Landeghem
Staci Bilbo