Enteric Nervous System: a Review

DergiPark: 379003tmsjEnteric nervous system directs and regulates the breakdown, absorption and elimination of food in our digestive system. However, alongside its digestive functions, enteric nervous system has also gained importance because of the discovery of its bidirectional link with intestinal flora, which has recently started to be considered as a separate organ in addiction to its digestive functions. Enteric nervous system contains approximately 100 million nerve cells, operates both independently and in coordination with the central nervous system, interacts with many neurotransmitters and is related to many conditions and structures such as the intestinal flora, mood, immune system and the efficiency of food utilization. It has a clinical importance on account of the diseases it is associated with. Recent studies focus on the connections between the intestinal flora, enteric nervous system and mechanisms of disease development. In order to understand these studies and pathological mechanisms it is essential to know the structure, connections and functioning of enteric nervous system. Considering these, we addressed the enteric nervous system and its communications with other structures of the digestive syste

Investigating the effects of glucose and lipid metabolism on neuronal structure using optical coherence tomography in treatment-resistant schizophrenia

Objective:The effects of metabolic changes on neural structures in the later stages of schizophrenia remain unknown. Alterations in glucose and lipid metabolism could impact disease progression. This study aims to investigate the effects of glucose and lipid metabolism on neuronal structures in treatment-resistant schizophrenia using optical coherence tomography (OCT), glycogenic proteins, and cholesterol values.Method:The study included 39 schizophrenia patients with remission, 43 treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) patients, and 40 healthy controls (HC). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed on all participants. Serum samples were collected to determine fasting glucose, Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides, total cholesterol, fasting insulin, and Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) levels. Results: IGF-1 levels in TRS patients were higher than those in the remission group. Additionally, the thickness of the inferior retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), superior RNFL, and global RNFL regions was significantly lower in the TRS group than in the HC group.Conclusion: While OCT measurements and elevated IGF-1 levels indicate neural thinning in treatment-resistant schizophrenia, there was no observed effect from lipid and glucose metabolism on this phenomenon