Week 6 participation - Translating Science by HART Lab

Task: Revising this Figure

janders2025 — 2024-02-13 16:17:42 UTC

Knowledge Translation is an important skill in science.

This is a very informative graph but also very confusing. Can we do better?

Working with a partner, try your hand at recreating this graph in a more understandable format.

If you want to search adobe stock and find a photo you like, use the trial version with the watermark and then if we go on to select that model, I can license the image.

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A simpler diagram simply with the central nervous system, the gut micro biome, and a bidirectional arrow though the vagus nerve could be presented. Inflammation and intestinal permeability could be just other inputs of the side for easier understanding

2024-02-13 20:33:29 UTC

Focus on the Vagus Nerve

2024-02-13 20:33:48 UTC

To create a more aesthetic and simple graph of the gut-brain relationship to anxiety, the focus point should be the vagus nerve since it is the critical connection of how physiologically the gut would communicate with the brain when forming anxious thoughts. The nerve would be the primary connector with the gut and brain at opposite ends. Then one half of the graph would represent an unhealthy state of each component and the other half representing a healthy state of the person.

Vagus Nerve System Function

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GEC → Vagus Nerve → Central nervous system → efferent fibres → local inflammation → intestinal permeability → back to GEC

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Simplified into two linear processes which made it easier for AISHA and I

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Gut brain access

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Bianca Golden

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Please ignore the black typed text on the left it was the only blank paper I had 😃

Gut microbiome- CNS communication diagram

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To make this concept easier to understand, we can use a more simplified model (like the one above). In this figure, the images are clear, large, and focus on the major organs involved (brain and gut). This figure emphasizes the major connection (vagus nerve) between the gut and the brain.

Simplified vagus nerve diagram

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Gut-Brain Axis

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This image might be great for an academic presentation, but for people who are less professional in this area, this image can beimproved with more simplified or less abstracted symbols, like with more clear and detailed in images of organs, glands, or neurons, etc.

Also, it it's possible, an gif to show clearer pathway can be very helpful as well! Or having several images to show every step instead of combining then into one.

2024-02-13 20:41:38 UTC

Gut-brain axis & anxiety

2024-02-13 20:42:11 UTC

The gut-brain axis involves bidirectional communication between the brain and the gut through the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve sends broken-down microbiota into the gut. These signals get sent to the central nervous system.

The central nervous system receives, processes, and responds to this gut information. Psychological factors can influence digestive function, symptom perception, illness behavior, and outcome. Gut microbes can influence brain function,

emotion, and behavior.

Diseases or stressful states can compromise the pathways. This causes changes in

bacterial composition in the gut, changes in mood, behavior, cognition, and altered inflammatory levels.

Simplified Gut Microbiome Diagram

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Rebecca & Makayla

2024-02-13 20:43:31 UTC

The gut and the central nervous system have a bi directional communication channel via the vagus nerve by microbiota.

Information from CNS to gut:

Local inflammation is communicated by the CNS to the gut via efferent firbers along the vagus nerv
Extent of intestional permeability is communicated by CNS to gut via efferent fibres

Information from gut to CNS

Gut endocrine cells release microbiota to stimulate afferent fibres to community information to the CNS via the vagus nerve.

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Gut Brian Axis

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The Gut microbiome and Vagus Nerve Connection

2024-02-13 20:46:25 UTC

Within our gut we have microbiota that interact with our vagus nerve. Through the vagus nerve, there is bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain. This gut-brain connection can cause many bodily responses. One bodily response is an inflammatory response. Cytokines are produced by gut microbes and enter the CNS through a Blood-brain barrier. Vagal afferent fibres in the gut also activate the HPA axis. This causes the adrenal glands to produce cortisol which will cause an individual to experience anxiety.

2024-02-13 20:47:23 UTC