FMRI is a technique that allows researchers to see images of the brain as it responds to stimuli. The research appears in the December 2001 issue of the American Journal of Physiology: Gastrointestinal & Liver Physiology.

"Understanding the link between the gut and the brain can help increase our knowledge of a variety of bowel disorders, which are more prevalent among women than men," says Reza Shaker, M.D., director of the Medical College's Digestive Disease Center, professor of medicine and chief of the division of gastroenterology at the Medical College. He practices at the Froedtert and Medical College Gastroenterology Clinic.

The Medical College is a world leader in studying relationships between the brain and gut. Approximately 20 percent of the population, primarily women, have stomach and gut pains, bloating, distension, and other symptoms that, when studied, have no objective clinical findings.

"Any disease is a result of some derangement of anatomy or physiology. If we don't understand the normal status, we won't understand that derangement," Dr. Shaker says. "As to the issue of the brain-gut interaction, our findings are very preliminary; there are many, many unknowns."

In this research, Dr. Shaker and his team found that the brains of normal, healthy women had different responses to rectal stimulation from those of men. Specifically, in a majority of the women in the study, a portion of the brain called the anterior cingulate/prefrontal area showed activity on an fMRI, while the area was almost entirely silent in men.

This area controls the relationship between the part of the brain involved in emotion and the part involved in muscle activity.

"It's a pivotal study that shows when we assess the disease we have to be aware of the fact that there are differences between genders in terms of their cortical or brain response," Dr. Shaker says.

In this study, 28 healthy volunteers (15 women and 13 men) volunteered to have their rectums distended while undergoing an fMRI of their brains. Their rectums were distended by insertion of a cylindrical polyethylene bag, which was inflated after insertion.

Dr. Shaker says the next step in his research would be to study men and women who have irritable bowel syndrome, using the same methods in this study.

Dr. Shaker's team working on the study include Mark Kern, M.S., research scientist in gastroenterology and hepatology; Safwan Jaradeh, M.D., professor and chairman of neurology; Andrzej Jesmanowicz, Ph.D., assistant professor of biophysics; and James Hyde, Ph.D., professor of biophysics. - By Toranj Marphetia

[Contact: toranj marphetia]

13-Nov-2001