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Table 1 Key Terms Related to DGBI Symptoms

From: Assessment and management of disorders of gut–brain interaction in patients with eating disorders

Term

Definition

Brain-Gut axis

Bidirectional neurohumoral communication between the gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system

Brain-Gut behavior therapy

Evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions that target brain-gut interaction, such as relaxation training, mindfulness training, cognitive behavioral therapy for GI disorders, and gut-directed hypnotherapy

Complementary therapy

Natural products or mind–body medicine which are used in addition to or as an alternative to standard medical treatments

Enteric nervous system

A complex network of nerves which line the GI tract and controls GI tract motility and function

Manometry study

Study which measures pressures and patterns of GI organ motility and sensation

Motility

Movement of contents through the GI tract, mediated by complex signaling between nerves and muscles

Organic

In the context of DGBI, used to describe possible underlying anatomic (structural) or inflammation-related causes of symptoms (e.g. cancer, ulcer causing abdominal pain)

Prokinetic

Pharmacological agents which promote movement of contents in the GI tract

Neuromodulators

Pharmacological agents which primarily have activity in the noradrenergic, serotonergic, dopaminergic systems in the brain-gut axis

Visceral hypersensitivity

A key pathophysiological mechanism involved in pain sensation in DGBI, causing heightened perception of gut stimuli