Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Gut-Brain Axis

Gut-Brain Axis

The gut–brain axis is a bidirectional communication system that connects the gastrointestinal tract and the brain. This interaction is mediated through multiple pathways, including the vagus nerve, hormonal signals, immune responses, and chemical messengers produced by gut microbes.Microbial Contributions to Brain FunctionGut microbiota contributes significantly to brain function by producing neuroactive compounds. These include neuroactive compounds that influence neurotransmitters such as...

Functions of the Gut Microbiota

Functions of the Gut Microbiota

The gut microbiota includes trillions of microorganisms that colonize the human gastrointestinal tract, including bacteria, archaea, viruses, and fungi. This complex ecosystem plays a critical role in maintaining intestinal and systemic health. Most of these microbes inhabit the large intestine, establishing a relatively stable and diverse community that contributes to gut homeostasis through various metabolic, immunological, and protective mechanisms.Dominant bacterial phyla, such as...

Dysbiosis of the Gut Microbiota

Dysbiosis of the Gut Microbiota

The human gut microbiome includes a diverse array of microbial species, including beneficial commensals and opportunistic pathogens, which interact to support host health. These microbes contribute to essential functions such as nutrient metabolism, immune system modulation, and maintenance of intestinal barrier integrity. However, disruptions to this equilibrium—referred to as dysbiosis—can have widespread physiological consequences.Dysbiosis is often characterized by reduced microbial...

Neural Regulation

Neural Regulation

Digestion begins with a cephalic phase that prepares the digestive system to receive food. When our brain processes visual or olfactory information about food, it triggers impulses in the cranial nerves innervating the salivary glands and stomach to prepare for food.

Regulation of the Digestive System

Regulation of the Digestive System

Digestive activity regulation hinges on three primary components. Activation is prompted by a multitude of mechanical and chemical indicators, primarily detected by receptors within the stomach and intestines' walls. These receptors predominantly respond to factors such as mechanical stretching of the organ walls, changes in pH and osmolarity, and the presence of digesting materials and their by-products.
The effectors in this regulation system are glands and smooth muscles. Activation of these...

Cell-surface Signaling

Cell-surface Signaling

Hormones—or any molecule that binds to a receptor, known as a ligand—that are lipid-insoluble (water-soluble) are not able to diffuse across the cell membrane. In order to be able to affect a cell without entering it, these hormones bind to receptors on the cell membrane. When a first messenger, a hormone, binds to a receptor, a signal cascade is set off, causing second messengers, proteins inside the cell, to become activated, resulting in downstream effects.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Lipid sensing and brain hormone receptors in food intake and glucose regulation.

Nature reviews. Endocrinology·2026

Same author

Targeting Cancer Cachexia: A Mechanistic Evaluation of Anti-GDF-15 Antibody-Based Combination Therapies.

Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle·2026

Same author

From brain bioenergetics to hypothalamic glucoregulation: A shared-systems hypothesis for intrinsic dysglycemia in schizophrenia.

Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders·2026

Same author

Evaluation of leptin treatment on maintenance of body weight loss in diet-induced obese mice.

Diabetes, obesity & metabolism·2025

Same author

Lipids Engage a Kidney-Brain GDF15 Axis to Suppress Food Intake.

Diabetes·2025

Same author

Metformin Boosts Intestinal Lipid Sensing via GIP to Suppress Feeding.

Diabetes·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Real-time Analysis of Gut-brain Neural Communication: Cortex wide Calcium Dynamics in Response to Intestinal Glucose Stimulation

Real-time Analysis of Gut-brain Neural Communication: Cortex wide Calcium Dynamics in Response to Intestinal Glucose Stimulation

Published on: December 29, 2023

Gut-brain signalling: how lipids can trigger the gut.

Danna M Breen¹, Clair S Yang, Tony K T Lam

¹Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1L7, Canada.

Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews

|February 5, 2011

Summary

The gut and brain communicate via a lipid-induced axis to manage energy and glucose. Understanding this gut-brain connection may reveal shared pathways for lipid sensing and homeostasis.

More Related Videos

Injections of Lipopolysaccharide into Mice to Mimic Entrance of Microbial-derived Products After Intestinal Barrier Breach

Injections of Lipopolysaccharide into Mice to Mimic Entrance of Microbial-derived Products After Intestinal Barrier Breach

Published on: May 2, 2018

A Gut-on-a-Chip Model to Study the Gut Microbiome-Nervous System Axis

A Gut-on-a-Chip Model to Study the Gut Microbiome-Nervous System Axis

Published on: July 28, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Real-time Analysis of Gut-brain Neural Communication: Cortex wide Calcium Dynamics in Response to Intestinal Glucose Stimulation

Real-time Analysis of Gut-brain Neural Communication: Cortex wide Calcium Dynamics in Response to Intestinal Glucose Stimulation

Published on: December 29, 2023

Injections of Lipopolysaccharide into Mice to Mimic Entrance of Microbial-derived Products After Intestinal Barrier Breach

Injections of Lipopolysaccharide into Mice to Mimic Entrance of Microbial-derived Products After Intestinal Barrier Breach

Published on: May 2, 2018

A Gut-on-a-Chip Model to Study the Gut Microbiome-Nervous System Axis

A Gut-on-a-Chip Model to Study the Gut Microbiome-Nervous System Axis

Published on: July 28, 2023

Area of Science:

Metabolic physiology
Neuroendocrinology
Gut-brain axis research

Background:

The gut is crucial for metabolic defense against energy excess and glucose imbalance.
Lipid sensing in the small intestine initiates mechanisms for energy and glucose homeostasis.
A lipid-induced gut-brain axis involving cholecystokinin and neural networks is recognized, but its precise mechanisms are unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the mechanisms of the lipid-induced gut-brain neuronal axis regulating food intake and hepatic glucose production.
To explore the role of brain lipid metabolism enzymes in gut lipid sensing.
To discuss potential shared biochemical pathways for lipid sensing in the gut and brain.

Main Methods:

Literature review of studies on the gut-brain axis and lipid metabolism.
Analysis of mechanisms involved in nutrient sensing in the intestine.
Examination of the role of specific enzymes, like adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, in brain lipid metabolism.

Main Results:

The gut-brain axis plays a significant role in regulating energy and glucose homeostasis through lipid sensing.
Cholecystokinin and neuronal pathways are key components of this axis.
Enzymes involved in brain lipid metabolism may offer insights into gut lipid sensing.

Conclusions:

The lipid-induced gut-brain axis is a critical regulator of metabolic homeostasis.
Further research into brain lipid metabolism may elucidate gut lipid sensing mechanisms.
Common biochemical pathways may exist for lipid sensing in both the gut and brain.