These neurons in the abdomen help form the gut-brain connection

For example, a team at Caltech has identified two distinct types of neurons in the abdomens of mice that appear to control different aspects of digestion.

The finding, reported in the journal Nature, helps explain how clusters of neurons in the body play a key role in the gut-brain connection, a complex two-way communication system between the brain and digestive system.

It also adds to the evidence that neurons in the body can take on specialized functions, “just like in the brain,” says Yuki Oka, an author of the study.

“The peripheral nervous system is smart,” says Frank Duca of the University of Arizona, who was not involved in the study.