If you have ever suffered from gut problems, then you may suffer from depression as well! This is what the American researchers have found recently. An early life gastric irritation may cause a change in your brain wiring and may put you at a risk of depression and anxiety in your later life.
The experiment was conducted with newborn rats. Gastric irritation in those rats was found to raise the expression of the stress hormone called the Corticotrophin Releasing Factor, CRF while making them more sensitive to stress in the later phase of life. There are several explanations which are trying to link the two conditions.
Mood disorder may cause gut problems. It is depression which can alter the stress hormone levels causing gut problems like irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia. But according to Dr. Dr Pankaj Pasricha of Stanford University School of Medicine in California, psychological disorders are the result rather than the cause.
Dr. Pasricha, a professor, who heads the gastroenterology and the hepatology department, says, "The gut and the brain are hardwired together by the vagus nerve, which runs from the brain to the body's internal organs". According to him, the adult brain and the gut share a bidirectional communication and any change in the gut is directly signaled to the brain.
But he focuses on the importance of the timing of the irritation. Researchers are of the opinion that temporary gut inflammation or injury may come in the way of proper development of the central nervous system.
Researchers tried to prove this point by inducing functional dyspepsia in 10-day old male rats. The behavior of the subjects was then studied after they attained 8 to 10 weeks of age. These rats were found to display depressed behaviors which became evident in some of their activities.
The treated rats preferred staying in the dark corners of a maze, they showed a decreased preference for sugared water and performed at low activity levels during forced swimming tests. So what's next? Researchers are trying to find out what triggers that signal and how the brain reacts to it. They believe that such a discovery may lead to the development of new treatments for anxiety and depression.
