A scientific article published by Benjamin M. Ellingson from the University of Los Angeles (USA) in the journal Pain in April 2013 revealed that patients with irritable bowel have cerebral alterations. This supports the idea that Irritable Bowel Syndrome is part of Central Sensitivity Syndrome (CSS) where patients, in addition to digestive symptoms, may also have headaches, tiredness, generalised muscle pain and contractures, sleep disturbances, etc.
Here is the summary of the article: “Diffusion tensor imaging detects microstructural reorganization in the brain associated with chronic irritable bowel syndrome“.
Photo taken from the article published in the journal ‘Pain’.