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The role of the gastrointestinal microbiota in visceral pain
Rea and colleagues (2017) reviewed the involvement of the gastrointestinal microbiota in visceral pain, focusing on the anatomical and physiological nodes whereby microbiota may be mediating pain response and discussing the potential for manipulating gastrointestinal microbiota as a therapeutic target for visceral pain. The writers explained the consequences of changes to the microbial environment in the gut: drop in gut barrier integrity; altered gut motility; inflammatory mediator release; nociceptive and distension receptor sensitisation while hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, neuroinflammatory events and neurotransmitter systems are concomitantly altered. The microbiota-gut-brain axis imbalance results in the alteration of the central and peripheral pathways, both of which are associated with pain manifestation and perception. [NPID: pain, microbiota, gut microbiome, pain response, gut motility, HPA axis, gut-brain axis, pain perception]
Year: 2017
