“The second brain” in cognitive and mental functioning

Timetable

Module aim (aims)

1. The aim of this lecture is to familiarize students with the structure and principles of functioning of the intestinal nervous system, referred to as the "second brain".
2. During the classes, the connections between the second brain and the cognitive and psychological functioning of the individual will be discussed.

3. Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant)

Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant)

Syllabus

1. Gut-brain axis, functions, communication pathways
2. Digestive system and food digestion from the perspective of gastrointestinal microbiota
3. Immune system, gastrointestinal diseases associated with disruption of gut flora composition, antibiotic therapy and its impact on the microbiome
4. Gut microbiota and memory
5. Gut microbiota and attention
6. Gut microbiota and decision making
7. Gut microbiota and other selected cognitive functions
8. Gut microbiota and social behaviors
9. Gut microbiota and depression
10. Gut microbiota and anxiety disorders
11. Gut microbiota and other selected psychiatric disorders
12. How to take care of your second brain? Gut microbiota friendly lifestyle, probiotics.

Reading list

Obligatory

1. Cryan, J. F., O’Riordan, K. J., Cowan, C. S. M., Sandhu, K. V., Bastiaanssen, T. F. S., Boehme, M., Codagnone, M. G., Cussotto, S., Fulling, C., Golubeva, A. V., Guzzetta, K. E., Jaggar, M., Long-Smith, C. M., Lyte, J. M., Martin, J. A., Molinero-Perez, A., Moloney, G., Morelli, E., Morillas, E., … Dinan, T. G. (2019). The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis. Physiological Reviews, 99(4), 1877–2013. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00018.2018
2. Gareau, M. G. (2016). Chapter Eleven—Cognitive Function and the Microbiome. In J. F. Cryan & G. Clarke (Eds.), International Review of Neurobiology (Vol. 131, pp. 227– 246). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.irn.2016.08.001
3. Berding, K., Vlckova, K., Marx, W., Schellekens, H., Stanton, C., Clarke, G., Jacka, F., Dinan, T. G., & Cryan, J. F. (2021). Diet and the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis: Sowing the Seeds of Good Mental Health. Advances in Nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 12(4), 1239–1285. https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmaa181

Optional

1. Gershon, M. (2019). The Second Brain: A Groundbreaking New Understanding of Nervous Disorders of the Stomach and Intestine. HarperCollins.

      2. Anderson, S.C., Cryan, J.F. i Dinan, T. (2017). The Psychobiotic Revolution: Mood, Food, and the New Science of the Gut-Brain Connection, Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society