The Brain in Your Gut

Don't miss this article in today's Wall Street Journal about the enteric nervous system, also known as the gut brain. It's a collection of 500 million nerve cells--as many as in a cat's brain (think about it)--that are distributed throughout the esophagus, stomach, and small and large intestine. The gut brain sends messages about fullness and hunger to the upstairs brain, telling it to eat, stop eating, etc. New insights about the enteric nervous system are driving companies including Nestle to find ways to trick both brains into thinking they've had enough to eat. Fascinating.