Discovered why stress can cause stomach ache: research in the journal Cell, in fact, has identified a biological mechanism that links psychological stress to a picture of intestinal inflammation.
This discovery could improve treatments for chronic gastrointestinal conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
The study was led by Christoph Thaiss of the University of Pennsylvania by initially analyzing mice with IBD-like symptoms. For one week, the researchers placed eight animals inside small tubes for 3 hours a day to induce stress. They then treated the mice with a chemical irritant for seven days to cause IBD symptoms.
Then three mice were given a drug to block the brain’s release of stress hormones (glucocorticoids). The researchers then performed a colonoscopy on the mice and rated intestinal inflammation and intestinal damage between 0 and 15, with higher scores indicating worse outcomes. The mice given the drug averaged a score of about 5, while those without the drug scored slightly less than 15, indicating that glucocorticoids are important for stress-induced intestinal inflammation.
The researchers then found that mice with persistently elevated glucocorticoids had increased activity of pro-inflammatory genes.
Genetic analysis also revealed that stress alters the neurons in the gut, which are needed to drive intestinal motility,” explains Thaiss.
The team validated these findings in 63 people with IBD by collecting and genetically analyzing tissue samples from each one’s colon. Participants also completed a stress assessment questionnaire. The most stressed people had more intestinal damage and a greater increase in inflammatory markers, similar to those seen in mice.
The discovery paves the way for the development of new treatments for the irritable bowel, which also take into account the person’s stress conditions.
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