It’s a belief that can be traced to the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians: the gut is the seat of emotion. Until recently, however, this idea hasn’t been given much attention in the world of modern science and research. On today’s podcast, gastroenterologist, author of over 320 peer-reviewed articles, and professor of physiology at the UCLA Microbiome Center, Dr. Emeran Mayer, gives us a look into his current work on understanding how the microbiome lends itself to brain-gut interactions, influences emotion, and even paves the way for the development of obesity. Tune in for the details on all this and more, including: How microbes might synthesize serotonin, and what effect serotonin might have on microbial behavior and gene expression What causes us to feel “full” or reach satiety while eating, and how microbes may influence the mechanism of satiety What Dr. Mayer believes will happen in the world of microbiome research and applications within the next 10 years How Dr. Mayer’s current research seeks to bridge the gap between the findings in mouse studies and human studies on the microbiome, digestive diseases, and the gut-brain interaction For more information on these topics, visit https://emeranmayer.com/.