Question: How big is the "Mini Brain" ?

Asked by mharris13 to Mel on 27 Aug 2012.

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  1. Photo: Melina EllisMelina Ellis
    answered on 27 Aug 2012:

    Thanks for your question mharris13!

    The mini brain or the enteric nervous system (also sometimes called the second brain!) is a network of nerve cells/neurons that lie entirely within the wall of your digestive system and help it to break down a meal and absorb nutrients. While your gut and brain are in close communication, the ENS can also function without any input from the brain.

    The ENS extends the whole of your digestive system and includes special nerves which act as taste receptors on your tongue, esophagus, stomach, small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, ileum), large intestine (proximal colon, ascending colon, descending colon and sigmoidal colon), the rectum and anus.

    There are 100 000 000 neurons in the mini brain/ENS which work together to coordination to control digestion, motility/movement, absorption and secretion.

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Comments

  1. Photo: mharris13mharris13
    commented on 29 Aug 2012:

    Thank you and is the Mini Brain in other places as well like is their a mini brain for some other organs as well

    🙂

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    • Photo: MelMel
      commented on 29 Aug 2012:

      Hi mharris13!

      That’s a good follow up question.

      Actually the enteric nervous system is a branch of a bigger nervous system (which comes out of the central nervous system – CNS- your brain and spinal cord). This is called the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS has nerves which surround other organs and ‘innervate’ or help to control the function of the heart, lung, kidneys, etc. The ANS has groups of neurons which are located between the spinal cord and other organs- we refer to these clusters as autonomic ‘ganglia’.

      So while the gut’s mini brain can work by itself- if you cut off the connections to the CNS, the other organs are under the control of the CNS and ANS but don’t have their own mini-brain!

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      • Photo: mharris13mharris13
        commented on 3 Sep 2012:

        So does that mean that everything is its own brain but it operates off your main brain?

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        • Photo: MelMel
          commented on 4 Sep 2012:

          Hi mharris13,

          Not quite. The enteric nervous system is quite unique because it is made of a network of neurons (the myenteric and submucosal plexuses) that work independently of the brain.

          Other organs receive ‘innervation’ and are controlled by the brain but do not have their own network of neurons working in parallel.

          Hope that helps!

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