Our digestive system, otherwise known as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, is made up of a series of organs whose mucosal barriers are exposed to a wide variety of external stimuli including environmental factors. It comprises an intricate network of more than half a billion neurons known as the enteric nervous system (ENS). The ENS controls gut motility, nutrient absorption, immune regulation, and defense. Neurogastroenterology is a new subspecialty of gastroenterology that includes the status of the nervous system of the gut and the gut-brain axis during diagnosis and treatment of patients. It is currently a key approach to investigate, diagnose and treat functional digestive disorders (FGID), as well as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Together, these conditions are the most common digestive system disorders that cause temporary or chronic discomfort and if not diagnosed and treated early, can lead to life-threatening complications and thus are a significant public health issue.
Moreover, proper functioning of the brain is also connected to the health of the gut via the gut-brain axis (GBA). The gut-brain axis is a complex, multi-systems network of physiological interactions that enables our brain to integrate stimuli and coordinate responses to and from the gastrointestinal tract. The global impact of the gut-brain axis on health is exemplified by the relatively recent identification of its implication in diseases of the nervous system such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Autism spectrum disorders and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In the case of Parkinson’s disease, the direct link between the gut and the brain has been made more evident by the discovery that GI symptoms precede those in the central nervous system and that GI symptom severity is predictive of cognitive decline.
Despite the importance of the status of the gut in efficient diagnosis and treatment of digestive and neurological disorders, it is still not well understood. One of the limiting factors is the lack of tools enabling in-vivo and minimally invasive investigations of the enteric nervous system’s involvement in diseases. Novel treatment methods have mainly targeted the gut microbiota, whose dysbiosis directly affects the GBA. However, ENS activity, whose role is crucial in coordinating gut homeostasis, remains mostly unexplored in these contexts. To provide insights into the functional dynamics of the gut and advance our understanding of its involvement and possible therapeutic potential in the GBA, we are developing an endoscope relying on optical and electrical signals to stimulate and monitor status of the gut. Since this entails the development of a new technology and methodology for the investigation of physiological phenomena that are not well understood, the project’s impact will affect both the device and biological knowledge landscapes surrounding the ENS and gut-brain axis.
