First and Second Brains

Did you know that the brain in your head influences the brain in your stomach? Butterflies in the stomach arise when brain neurons send a message of anxiety to stomach neurons, which sends messages back to the brain that your gut is unhappy. This “second brain” can also work in isolation to trigger Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS. No surprise, low doses of antidepressants (like SSRIs) have been found effective in treating IBS.