Figure 3.

Enteric glia-associated human diseases along the gut-brain axis

Proteinopathies (green box) involve misfolded proteins that may travel from the gastrointestinal (GI) system to the brain, and these include Parkinson's disease and transmissible prion disease. Enteric glial cells (EGCs) may be involved in transmission of these proteins. Neuroinflammatory conditions of the enteric nervous system (blue box) can be induced by dysregulation of the gut microbiome or infection, and these states may be mediated in part by EGCs. A host of functional GI disorders (red box) may be associated with enteric glial dysfunction, largely affecting the colon. Groups of EGC-associated conditions may exacerbate or influence each other (blue arrows): neuroinflammatory disorders may cause dysmotility and bowel dysfunction, and dysmotility may promote neuroinflammation; neuroinflammation may allow easier transmission of misfolded proteins, and aggregates of misfolded protein may in turn promote neuroinflammation.