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World J Gastroenterol. Jul 7, 2007; 13(25): 3438-3445
Published online Jul 7, 2007. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i25.3438
Functional brain imaging of gastrointestinal sensation in health and disease
Lukas Van Oudenhove, Steven J Coen, Qasim Aziz
Lukas Van Oudenhove, Department of Neurosciences, Division of Psychiatry & Department of Pathophysiology, Gastroenterology Section, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, University of Leuven, Belgium
Lukas Van Oudenhove, Qasim Aziz, Division of Neuroscience & Medicine, Department of GI Sciences, Hope Hospital, University of Manchester, United Kingdom
Steven J Coen, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Dr. Lukas Van Oudenhove, Secretary of Liaison Psychiatry, University Hospital Gasthuisberg; Herestraat 49, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. lukas.vanoudenhove@med.kuleuven.be
Telephone: +32-16-348745 Fax: + 32-16-348700
Received: March 9, 2007
Revised: March 9, 2007
Accepted: March 12, 2007
Published online: July 7, 2007
Abstract

It has since long been known, from everyday experience as well as from animal and human studies, that psychological processes-both affective and cognitive-exert an influence on gastrointestinal sensorimotor function. More specifically, a link between psychological factors and visceral hypersensitivity has been suggested, mainly based on research in functional gastrointestinal disorder patients. However, until recently, the exact nature of this putative relationship remained unclear, mainly due to a lack of non-invasive methods to study the (neurobiological) mechanisms underlying this relationship in non-sleeping humans. As functional brain imaging, introduced in visceral sensory neuroscience some 10 years ago, does provide a method for in vivo study of brain-gut interactions, insight into the neurobiological mechanisms underlying visceral sensation in general and the influence of psychological factors more particularly, has rapidly grown. In this article, an overview of brain imaging evidence on gastrointestinal sensation will be given, with special emphasis on the brain mechanisms underlying the interaction between affective & cognitive processes and visceral sensation. First, the reciprocal neural pathways between the brain and the gut (brain-gut axis) will be briefly outlined, including brain imaging evidence in healthy volunteers. Second, functional brain imaging studies assessing the influence of psychological factors on brain processing of visceral sensation in healthy humans will be discussed in more detail. Finally, brain imaging work investigating differences in brain responses to visceral distension between healthy volunteers and functional gastrointestinal disorder patients will be highlighted.

Keywords: Functional brain imaging; Functional gastro-intestinal disorders; Visceral hypersensitivity; Gastrointestinal sensation; Psychological factors