Stress and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Unraveling the Code
Dr. Taché was the recipient of the IFFGD 2005 Research Award to Senior Investigator, Basic Science. Her early publications put the "brain-gut axis" on the map. Since then, she has been one of the pioneers in this field. In many ways, it has been her energy and enthusiasm that has ensured the continued vibrancy of the field. Her identification of the role of corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) signaling pathways in stress-related alterations of gut motor function and visceral pain are of major and lasting importance.
Summary
- "Stress" is a term doctors use to describe normal responses in the body that are needed for health and survival.
- In some people, the stress response is overactive. When the stress response is out of balance, unwanted symptoms can result.
- Understanding how this works will help find new and better ways to treat an illness like IBS.
The expression of symptoms in IBS reflects a disorder where various factors interact. Among them, psychosocial trauma and high rate of stressful life events (alone or combined with previous episodes of bowel infection/inflammation) have been identified as important risk factors in the onset, severity, and/or persistence of IBS symptoms. The question is often asked, are psychological conditions a cause or effect of IBS?
The Stress Response
A person's stress response involves a network of brain regions that interact as they receive information from inside or outside the body. When stress actives this network, it triggers pathways that directly or indirectly affect gut function through the unique system of nerves within the bowel wall. Recently, growing evidence indicates that the activation of certain pathways play a key role in mediating stress-related changes in colon function, such as muscle contractions or motility, and pain sensitivity. Targeting the mechanisms by drugs that block the action of these pathways may lead to treatment that is more effective to reduce IBS symptoms.