A link between the gut and mental illness has been found
In a new study, scientists have found common genes in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and some psychiatric disorders.A new study has found that irritable bowel syndrome and some mental disorders share common genes. So scientists have learned more about the connection between the gut and the brain.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has previously been linked to mental disorders. Studies have shown that its comorbidity with these disorders ranges from 54% to 94%. The chronic condition is also called psychosomal illness because it has no identifiable pathology on clinical or laboratory examination. However, IBS does have a known genetic component.
In a new study, researchers at the University of Bergen in Norway, examined the genetic basis of IBS and any link to mental illness. Using genetic data from 53,400 people with IBS and 433,201 from a control group, they identified 70 unique loci in common between IBS and various mental disorders: seven with generalized anxiety disorder, 35 with major depression, 27 with bipolar disease, and 15 with schizophrenia.
The researchers hope their findings will be useful for developing new treatments for IBS.
The study is published in the journal GenomeMedicine.