The TED talk by Giulia Enders focuses on a rather peculiar subject: that of the intestinal tract. The speaker notes that this area of the human body is highly fascinating and unfairly neglected by many future medical students. Enders describes not only the processes but also the details about the gut. Personally, I did not know that the gut had the surface area 40 times the area of a person’s skin. Also, I found out about the variety of immune cells, bacteria, and hormones inhabiting the gut.
Enders explains that there are two sphincter muscles: the outer and the inner one. Also, she dwells on the sounds produced by one’s stomach and points out that they are not embarrassing. In fact, these sounds signify that the organism is clearing up space after consuming some food. To make it possible, a strong muscular wave is made to move forward the remains of the food after digestion. Further, Enders provides an exciting explanation of the stomach’s shape and its functions, along with queer feelings that may appear in it.
I found it most interesting and surprising that gut had a much more important connection to the brain than merely regulating sphincter reflexes. It never occurred to me that the relationship between these organs was so close. Impressed by this information, I found a relevant article by Evrensel and Ceylan (2015), in which the authors discuss the significance of gut microbiota in the brain systems advancement. I learned that some probiotics could have an anxiolytic and antidepressant effect on the human brain. I think this research is valuable, just as the TED talk since both of them uncover the surprising qualities of the gut.
References
Evrensel, A., & Ceylan, M. E. (2015). The Gut-Brain Axis: The Missing Link in Depression. Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience, 13(3), 239–244. Web.
The surprisingly charming science of your gut. (2017). [Video]. TED. Web.