Epigenetic psychotherapy – brain and gut
Epigenetics is the study of changes in gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in DNA itself. The field is growing rapidly and is widely promoted, attracting attention in various arenas. A number of psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder often co-occur with functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. The risk of these pathologies is especially high in those with a history of trauma, abuse and chronic stress. These scientific discoveries and the growing awareness within the health profession lead to the need for an integrative framework to understand the developmental mechanisms that lead to these observations. We are just beginning to understand that the intestines, the microbes that live in them – the gut microbiota – and the signaling molecules they produce from their vast number of genes – the microbiome – form one of the main components of these regulatory systems. The microbiota-gut-brain axis is a bidirectional signaling mechanism between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system. Evidence shows that the gut microbiota is involved in neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, autism, anxiety, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia
Key words:
epigenetics; gut-brain axis; neuroplasticity; neuroscience; psychosomatic medicine; psychotherapy
OGLASI
