The Aging Enteric Nervous System
The gut and the brain communicate via the nervous system, hormones, microbiota-mediated substances, and the immune system. These intricate interactions have led to the term “gut-brain axis”. Unlike the brain—which is somewhat protected—the gut is exposed to a variety of factors throughout life and,...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/11/9471 |
| _version_ | 1797597418357784576 |
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| author | Tinh Thi Nguyen Peter Baumann Oliver Tüscher Sandra Schick Kristina Endres |
| author_facet | Tinh Thi Nguyen Peter Baumann Oliver Tüscher Sandra Schick Kristina Endres |
| author_sort | Tinh Thi Nguyen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The gut and the brain communicate via the nervous system, hormones, microbiota-mediated substances, and the immune system. These intricate interactions have led to the term “gut-brain axis”. Unlike the brain—which is somewhat protected—the gut is exposed to a variety of factors throughout life and, consequently, might be either more vulnerable or better adapted to respond to these challenges. Alterations in gut function are common in the elder population and associated with many human pathologies, including neurodegenerative diseases. Different studies suggest that changes in the nervous system of the gut, the enteric nervous system (ENS), during aging may result in gastrointestinal dysfunction and initiate human pathologies of the brain via its interconnection with the gut. This review aims at summarizing the contribution of normal cellular aging to the age-associated physiological changes of the ENS. Morphological alterations and degeneration of the aging ENS are observed in different animal models and humans, albeit with considerable variability. The aging phenotypes and pathophysiological mechanisms of the aging ENS have highlighted the involvement of enteric neurons in age-related diseases of the central nervous system such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. To further elucidate such mechanisms, the ENS constitutes a promising source of material for diagnosis and therapeutic predictions, as it is more accessible than the brain. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:05:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-93e3a70d7fb541098d4b4a9d1bc7943e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:05:48Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-93e3a70d7fb541098d4b4a9d1bc7943e2023-11-18T07:59:28ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672023-05-012411947110.3390/ijms24119471The Aging Enteric Nervous SystemTinh Thi Nguyen0Peter Baumann1Oliver Tüscher2Sandra Schick3Kristina Endres4Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Mainz, 55131 Mainz, GermanyChromosome Dynamics, Telomeres & Aging Group, Faculty of Biology and Institute of Molecular Biology, 55128 Mainz, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Mainz, 55131 Mainz, GermanyChromatin Regulation Group, Institute of Molecular Biology, 55128 Mainz, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Mainz, 55131 Mainz, GermanyThe gut and the brain communicate via the nervous system, hormones, microbiota-mediated substances, and the immune system. These intricate interactions have led to the term “gut-brain axis”. Unlike the brain—which is somewhat protected—the gut is exposed to a variety of factors throughout life and, consequently, might be either more vulnerable or better adapted to respond to these challenges. Alterations in gut function are common in the elder population and associated with many human pathologies, including neurodegenerative diseases. Different studies suggest that changes in the nervous system of the gut, the enteric nervous system (ENS), during aging may result in gastrointestinal dysfunction and initiate human pathologies of the brain via its interconnection with the gut. This review aims at summarizing the contribution of normal cellular aging to the age-associated physiological changes of the ENS. Morphological alterations and degeneration of the aging ENS are observed in different animal models and humans, albeit with considerable variability. The aging phenotypes and pathophysiological mechanisms of the aging ENS have highlighted the involvement of enteric neurons in age-related diseases of the central nervous system such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. To further elucidate such mechanisms, the ENS constitutes a promising source of material for diagnosis and therapeutic predictions, as it is more accessible than the brain.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/11/9471aginggutenteric nervous systemmicrobiotagut–brain axisneurodegenerative disease |
| spellingShingle | Tinh Thi Nguyen Peter Baumann Oliver Tüscher Sandra Schick Kristina Endres The Aging Enteric Nervous System International Journal of Molecular Sciences aging gut enteric nervous system microbiota gut–brain axis neurodegenerative disease |
| title | The Aging Enteric Nervous System |
| title_full | The Aging Enteric Nervous System |
| title_fullStr | The Aging Enteric Nervous System |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Aging Enteric Nervous System |
| title_short | The Aging Enteric Nervous System |
| title_sort | aging enteric nervous system |
| topic | aging gut enteric nervous system microbiota gut–brain axis neurodegenerative disease |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/11/9471 |
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