Interactions between gut permeability and brain structure and function in health and irritable bowel syndrome

Changes in brain-gut interactions have been implicated in the pathophysiology of chronic visceral pain in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Different mechanisms of sensitization of visceral afferent pathways may contribute to the chronic visceral pain reports and associated brain changes that characterize IBS. They include increased gut permeability and gut associated immune system activation, and an imbalance in descending pain inhibitory and facilitatory mechanisms. In order to study the involvement of these mechanisms, correlations between gut epithelial permeability and live bacterial passage, and structural and functional brain connectivity were measured in women with moderate-to-severe IBS and healthy women. The relationships between gut permeability and functional and anatomical connectivity were significantly altered in IBS compared with the healthy women. IBS participants with lower epithelial permeability reported increased IBS symptoms, which was associated with increased functional and structural connectivity in endogenous pain facilitation regions. The findings suggest that relationships between gut permeability and the brain are significantly altered in IBS and suggest the existence of IBS subtypes based on these interactions.