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Gastrointestinal hormones and the gut connectome
Provision of adequate nutrients by the gut is essential for survival and essential behaviors are linked to the proper ingestion and digestion of food. Recently, a new neural connection has been reported between sensory cells of the gut epithelium and the nervous system that mediates signals from the gut to the brain.
Gut connectome: built for gut sensing and signaling. Enteroendocrine cells reside in the intestinal epithelium with their apical surface oriented towards the lumen and secretory vesicles concentrated at the basal surface. Many enteroendocrine cells possess neuropods that are nurtured by glia and innervated by afferent and efferent nerves which allows them to send and receive neural signals. This connection provides a pathway for the gut to communicate sensory information.
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