Abstract
Understanding the neural processes governing the human gut-brain connection has been challenging due to the inaccessibility of the body’s interior. Here, we investigated neural responses to gastrointestinal sensation using a minimally invasive mechanosensory probe by quantifying brain, stomach, and perceptual responses following the ingestion of a vibrating capsule. Participants successfully perceived capsule stimulation under two vibration conditions (normal and enhanced), as evidenced by above chance accuracy scores. Perceptual accuracy improved significantly during the enhanced relative to normal stimulation, which was associated with a more rapid detection of the stimulation and reduced reaction time variability. Stomach stimulation induced early and late neural responses in parieto-occipital leads near the midline. Moreover, these ‘gastric evoked potentials’ showed intensity-dependent increases in amplitude and were significantly correlated with perceptual accuracy. These findings highlight a unique form of enterically-focused sensory monitoring within the human brain, with implications for understanding gut-brain interactions in healthy and clinical populations.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Footnotes
Competing Interest Statement: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Abbreviations
- BR
- Breathing Rate
- CPM
- Cycles per minute
- EEG
- Electroencephalogram
- EGG
- Electrogastrogram
- ERP
- Evoked response potential
- FP
- False positive
- HR
- Hit rate
- HRV
- Heart Rate Variability
- LPP
- Late positive potential
- M
- Mean
- μV
- Microvolts
- SCR
- Skin Conductance Response
- STAI
- Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory
- STD
- Standard deviation.