Journal of neurogastroenterology and motilitySep 6, 2026

Nervous System Symptoms Linked to Gut-Brain Communication in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Causes and Range of Effects

Gut-Brain Axis Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Sep 7, 2026

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is frequently associated with neuropsychiatric comorbidities, including anxiety and depression.

Neuropsychiatric disorders in IBD may arise from impaired communication between the gut and brain.
The gut-brain axis involves signaling pathways that can be disrupted by factors such as intestinal microbiota imbalance and neuroinflammation.
Intestinal barrier damage and immune activation are also linked to neuropsychiatric complications in IBD patients.
The article reviews the mechanisms connecting gut health to neurological and mental health issues in the context of IBD.

Simplified

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic immune-mediated disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that is frequently associated with neuropsychiatric comorbidities, such as anxiety, depression, and other neurological disorders. Accumulating evidence suggests that these neuropsychiatric disorders are secondary conditions caused by impaired gut-brain communication. The gut-brain axis connects the gut and the brain via neural, endocrine, and immune signaling pathways, disruption of which is usually caused by intestinal microbiota imbalance, intestinal barrier damage, neuroinflammation and immune activation, and neuroendocrine pathway abnormalities. These pathways constitute the pathological basis of the disease spectrum of neuropsychiatric comorbidities in IBD patients. This article comprehensively reviews the core mechanisms and disease spectrum of gut-brain axis-mediated neurological and mental complications in IBD, and discusses potential therapeutic strategies and challenges.

Nervous System Symptoms Linked to Gut-Brain Communication in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Causes and Range of Effects

Abstract

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