The Second Brain
by Michael D. Gershon · first published 1999
10mentions
5recommended by
5HN commenters
2016–2026first – last mentioned
100% recommend
Why HN recommends it
Accessible introduction to the enteric nervous system and how the gut's neurons influence mood and body function; written by a neuroscientist and readable for non-specialists curious about the gut-brain link.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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There is a really good book written in 1999 that expounds on your research doctors point (and is written with a very approachable tone) http://www.amazon.com/Second-Brain-Groundbreaking-Understand...
on “How the Gut Affects Mood” ↗…neurons rests below the brain, that hormones are being produced elsewhere (e.g. around the heart, or the intestine) that have a dramatic effect on conditions like depression (or lack thereof). See The Second Brain[1] by Michael D. Gershon for a primer on your intestine. I personally think reducing mental life to the brain is just as shortsighted as reducing a computer to its CPU: sure, you can do CS with such…
on “Scientific wasteland: recent problems with psychiatry” ↗The gut is a second brain, kinda...I have always been fascinated by this book: The Second Brain https://www.amazon.com/Second-Brain-Groundbreaking-Understan... Author is Michael D. Gershon M.D., chairman of the Department of…
on “Brain-Gut Circuit Lets Microbiota Directly Affect the Sympathetic Nervous System” ↗Also, this book, The Second Brain, is a bit older, but relevant: https://www.amazon.com/Second-Brain-Groundbreaking-Understan...
on “Researchers discover new salivary glands in the human head” ↗…subject is important and worth studying from various perspectives viz. Yoga(Kanda)/Qigong(Dantian)/Zen(Hara)/Modern Science(nerve plexus). The following two books are a good place to start from; 1) The Second Brain by Michael Gershon. 2) Hara : The Vital Center of Man by Karlfried Durckheim.
on “Speak from Your Gut” ↗Very Interesting. See also Michael Gershon's The Second Brain. In Yoga (and other Eastern physical disciplines) the gut area is often given a prominence that is lacking in Western physical cultures. I have myself felt a distinct difference in my mood/performance…
on “Could your gut bacteria influence how intelligent you are?” ↗See also: 1) The Second Brain by Michael Gershon. 2) Gut: The Inside Story Of Our Body's Most Under-Rated Organ by Julia Enders.
on “In the Gut's 'Second Brain,' Key Agents of Health Emerge” ↗…of ourselves in a changing world - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3709439/ 4) The Human Microbiome: From Symbiosis to Pathogenesis - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3731629/ 5) The Second Brain: A Groundbreaking New Understanding of Nervous Disorders of the Stomach and Intestine by Michael Gershon. This is a must-read neuro-psychology book. 6) Gut: The inside story of our body’s most under-rated…
on “Bacteria found in the human intestine capable of improving muscle strength” ↗…also Gut Health to consider. One of the key neurotransmitters affecting sleep is Serotonin which we now know to be mostly produced in the intestines. The Gut and Enteric Nervous System are known as "The Second Brain" (see book of the same name by Michael Gershon) and can act independently of the central nervous system. So one cause might be your gut is not producing enough Serotonin. On the Diet side Serotonin is…
on “The brain summons deep sleep for healing from life-threatening injury” ↗The Second Brain, according to Michael D. Gershon M.D.
on “Brain-Gut Circuit Lets Microbiota Directly Affect the Sympathetic Nervous System” ↗