Campus Tutorials: Find Out About Your Second Brain, The Enteric Nervous System

By Igboamalu Chimezie Nelson

How many brains do you posses, if you say one, you are correct. However there are several nervous u brain". It is the enteric nervous system (ENS) and is located, not in your head but mostly in your belly, o yeah you got; in your belly.
The amount of energy needed for your body to digest food is so great,thus it transform the food into fuel. The ENS is designed to do just this function.

Although the ENS is much simpler than the brain, it is very complex. Scientist say that in humans the ENS is made up of 200 to 600 neurons which is built into the digestive system. Scientist have beloved that if the functions where to take place in the brain the nerves will be too thick. The book " The second brain" states "It is both safe and convenient that to let the digestive system look after itself"

A Powerful Chemical Workshops
Digestion in the human body needs precise and exact mixtures produced at the right times and delivered to the right location. Professor Gary Mawe describes the digestive system as "a chemical workshop." The sophistication of this chemical operation is mind blowing. For instance the intestinal wall is lined with specialized cells that act as chemical detectors, or taste receptors, identifying chemicals present in food you eat. This data helps the ENS enlist the right digestive enzymes to break the food down into particles that the body can absorb. Also the ENS plays the role of monitoring the acidity and other chemical properties of food particles and in adjusting the digestive enzymes accordingly.

The ENS also moves food through the digestive system by directing the muscles around the wall of the digestive tract to contract. The ENS also supervises the safety functions in the digestive system. The food we eat contains some harmful bacteria, this is why the bulk of lymphocyte (Immune system) are housed inside your belly. When you ingest high level harmful organisms into the system, ENS protects the body by triggering powerful contractions that expel most of the toxic matter through vomiting or diarrhea

Communication

The ENS functions independently from the brain, but both communicate constantly. For instance the ENS send information to the brain of food to eat and not to eat, and how much of it you would need. It sends signals of when you are full or if nauseating will occur.

Another good examples can be seen in when people say they have butterflies in their stomach, what do you think is happening?
This may occur when the ENS diverts food from the stomach as a result of stress or tension. Nausea  can be another example as the brain communicates with the ENS this time triggering it to change the gut's normal contraction. According to scientist, this may be the reason for guts instincts.

Despite all the activities the ENS can perform, it is worthy of note that it is not a brain it can't help us compose songs or do arithmetic, still scientist  are still perplexed over this wonderful complexity; much of it is perhaps still unresolved.
So the next time you are about to eat a meal please sit to think and do the maths, monitoring, data processing coordination and communication the brain will perform.

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