Even the second brain has its own “emotions”.
The intestinal system really has a “mind” of its own. In our skull, in addition to the gray matter, there is also a “second brain” for the digestive tract. Scientists have documented an entirely new type of neuronal model and its direct effects on the gut.
The “second brain” is scientifically known as the sympathetic nervous system. It’s basically a complex network around the digestive tract, with about 400 million neurons, dozens of different types of neurotransmitters, that act as chemical transmitters. This is the peripheral nervous system with the largest number of neurons outside the brain. It can function almost independently of the brain’s central nervous system. Although the sympathetic nervous system is connected to the “main brain”, the 10th nerve, even if you cut this 10th nerve, the sympathetic nervous system will continue to function. normal movement.
The sympathetic nervous system is not involved and does not affect human consciousness. It will not control what you choose to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Its main job is to regulate and control the activity of the digestive system.
A paper published in the journal JNeurosci shows that Australian scientists have made the leap in modeling neuronal response in mice, a model that has never been seen before.
The researchers emphasize that the strange shape of the nerve waves actually “rhythms” with the contractions of the intestines. As a result, stool is pushed through the large intestine and out. The new finding is described as a “previously unknown pattern of neural activity”.
“Sympathetic nervous system activity has the potential to affect the impossibly length of the intestine at the same time,” they said.
In short, the “second brain” still contains many mysteries. The more scientists learn about it, the more complex and fascinating it becomes. There have been studies on the influence of the sympathetic nervous system on human states and emotions. More than 90% of the body’s serotonin, the neurotransmitter for “emotional sublimation,” is produced in the gut. Even more interesting is the evidence that the sympathetic nervous system actually develops before both the brain and the central nervous system in the fetus.