3.1.5 (3D) - the gut-brain axis

Question 1

The gut

Answer 1

The long flexible tube from mouth to anus that is the passageway involved in digestion (responsible for processing foods, absorbing nutrients, + excreting waste).

Question 2

Gut microbiota

Answer 2

All of the microorganisms that live in the gut.

Question 3

Gut microbiome

Answer 3

All of the genes of the microorganisms that live in the gut.

Question 4

Gut dysbiosis

Answer 4

Unbalanced gut microbiome (in number or type).

Question 5

Gut symbiosis

Answer 5

Balanced gut microbiome

Question 6

The gut-brain axis

Answer 6

The bidirectional connection between the gut and the brain through the enteric + central NS’s.

Question 7

Enteric NS

Answer 7

The network of nerves in the gut and is a subdivision of the autonomic NS.

Question 8

Central NS

Answer 8

A major division of the NS comprising the brain + spinal cord, which receives neural messages from + transmits neural messages to the PNS.

Question 9

The vagus nerve

Answer 9

The longest cranial nerve that connects the gut + the brain, enabling them to communicate.