New Insights into Gut-Brain Pain Pathways Offer Hope for IBS and IBD sufferers
Adelaide,Australia – A groundbreaking study led by the south Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) has pinpointed the specific nerve pathways responsible for transmitting pain signals from the bowel to the brain.This discovery, published in the journal of Neurochemistry, offers a crucial step forward in developing targeted treatments for debilitating conditions like Irritable bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
Approximately 12% of Australians – millions of people – live with chronic pain stemming from IBS or IBD. These conditions cause heightened sensitivity and overactivity in the gut’s nerves, yet effective therapies remain limited. The SAHMRI-led research, a collaborative effort involving the University of Adelaide, the University of Melbourne, and Flinders University, provides a vital new understanding of the underlying neurological mechanisms.[Image of Distribution of H129-EGFP+ cells within the thoracolumbar (TL) spinal cord dorsal horn following colorectal HSV-1 H129-EGFP inoculation. Credit:[ImageofDistributionofH129-EGFP+cellswithinthethoracolumbar(TL)spinalcorddorsalhornfollowingcolorectalHSV-1H129-EGFPinoculationCredit:
[ImageofDistributionofH129-EGFP+cellswithinthethoracolumbar(TL)spinalcorddorsalhornfollowingcolorectalHSV-1H129-EGFPinoculationCredit:Journal of Neurochemistry (2025). DOI: 10.1111/jnc.70211]”We’ve discovered that sensory information from the colorectum is transmitted into the brainstem through two distinct regions of the spinal cord,” explains Dr.Andrea Harrington, the study’s lead author. “One region in the thoracolumbar spinal cord relays signals specifically related to pain into brainstem pain circuits.The other,located in the lumbosacral spinal cord,carries a broader range of signals impacting gut motor function and pain modulation.”
This differentiation is key.By identifying these two distinct pathways, researchers now have a clearer
