Enteric and Sympathetic Nervous System Pathways Mediate Early Life Stress Effects on Gut Motility and Pain: Mechanistic Findings with Human Correlation - PubMed
5 hours ago
- #gut-brain-axis
- #early-life-stress
- #sympathetic-innervation
- Early life stress (ELS) disrupts gut-brain axis development, leading to long-term gastrointestinal (GI) dysmotility and pain.
- Maternal separation (MS) in mice caused visceral hypersensitivity, sex-specific motility defects, and altered enteric nervous system (ENS) composition.
- Sex hormones play a role in long-term gut changes, as suppressing gonadal hormones reversed MS-induced pain and motility defects.
- ELS-related gut dysfunction involves sympathetic overactivity, as chemical sympathectomy restored normal motility in mice.
- Human studies showed associations between maternal mental health problems and pediatric disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI), aligning with preclinical findings.
- The study highlights ELS-driven changes in enteric, sensory, and sympathetic pathways as contributors to DGBI risk.