A new study has identified a link between mental health and the stomach, a region of the gut rarely covered in research on the complex interplay between the central nervous system and the digestive tract.
Both the stomach and the brain have a constant pattern of electrical waves pulsing through them, on a low level, and it was found that the more in sync these two patterns are, the higher the chance of someone being in mental distress.
The study was conducted by a team from Aarhus University in Denmark and the German Institute of Human Nutrition. The researchers hope that we might eventually be able to diagnose certain mental health issues more precisely, or earlier, via stomach signals.
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“Intuitively, we assume stronger body-brain communication is a sign of health,” says neuroscientist Micah Allen from Aarhus University.
“But here, unusually strong stomach-brain coupling seems linked to greater psychological burden – perhaps a system under strain.”
The researchers were able to obtain full brain scan data (across 209 brain regions), full stomach scan data, and mental health questionnaires for 199 participants, and this information was then statistically analyzed to look for links.
Stronger syncing or coupling between brain waves and stomach waves was associated with a higher chance of mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and stress. Weaker coupling meant a higher chance of better mental health and well-being.
The data isn’t enough to show that stomach activity is directly triggering mental illness or vice versa, and we don’t know yet why these connections exist. However, it’s a relationship that we may be able to make use of, with further research.
It builds on what we already know about the enteric nervous system in the gut, connected to the brain via the vagus nerve. Past research has linked this ‘second brain’ to conditions such as autism and neurodegenerative diseases.
“This part of the gut has been largely ignored,” says neuroscientist Leah Banellis from Aarhus University. “Most research focuses on the microbiome and lower digestive system. Our results suggest stomach rhythms are also deeply tied to emotional well-being.”
It can be tricky to accurately diagnose mental health problems, with different conditions often overlapping, problems being overlooked or misdiagnosed, and people being reluctant or unable to identify what the issues are. Having other markers for a more precise diagnosis would be very useful.
Further down the line it might even be possible to adjust feedback from the stomach – the gastric rhythm – to alleviate the symptoms of mental health issues, but that’s a long way off. For now, the researchers want to gather more data on bigger and more diverse groups to see if these patterns can be replicated.
“We know certain medications and even the foods we eat can influence gastric rhythms,” says Allen. “One day, this research might help us tailor treatments based on how a patient’s body and brain interact – not just what they report feeling.”
The research has been published in Nature Mental Health.
