Events

Interdisciplinary Conference ‘Brain and Gut: Friends or Foes?’

05 11 2024

On 30 October 2024, the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences hosted the interdisciplinary scientific conference ‘Brain and Gut: Friends or Foes?’ The conference was organised by the Division of Biological, Medical, and Geosciences of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the Lithuanian Society of Gastroenterology and the Lithuanian Psychiatric Association.

Conference organisers and speakers.

Recently, the medical and health professional community has been focusing a lot of attention on functional or the so-called psychosomatic diseases. The gut-brain axis is a bi-directional system of neurohumoral communication; it is important for maintaining the homeostasis of the body and is regulated through the central and enteric nervous systems, also the nervous, endocrine, immune, and metabolic systems. It is now generally accepted that a disturbed gut-brain axis connection can lead to functional gastrointestinal diseases.

Prof. Zenonas Dabkevičius, the vice-president of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, welcomes the conference.

The conference was opened by Assoc. Prof. Goda Sadauskaitė, the president of the Lithuanian Society of Gastroenterology and Dr Ramunė Mazaliauskienė, the president of Lithuanian Psychiatric Association.  The conference participants were welcomed by Prof. Zenonas Dabkevičius, the vice-president of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, and Prof. Limas Kupčinskas, the chair of the Division of Biological, Medical, and Geosciences of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. Gastroenterologists (Prof. Vaidas Urbonas, Prof. Gediminas Kiudelis, Assoc. Prof. Goda Sadauskaitė), psychiatrists (Prof. Virginija Adomaitienė, Dr Ramunė Mazaliauskienė, Greta Grigentytė), gastroenterologists-psychotherapists (Assoc. Prof. Irma Kuliavienė, Assoc. Prof. Aida Žvirblienė), and the dietician Dr Edita Gavelienė shared the latest information on functional diseases of gastrointestinal tract. The invited guest speaker Dr Chimney Pandya (DSVV University, India) presented data on the functional effects of meditation and yoga in the treatment of digestive diseases.

A conference moment.
Prof. Gediminas Kiudelis giving a presentation.

During the discussions, it was recognised that due to increased levels of psychological stress, Western dietary habits, and changes in the gut microbiome the prevalence of functional gastrointestinal diseases is increasing in modern Western societies and that the treatment of these diseases requires a multidisciplinary and holistic approach.

Prepared by Prof. Limas Kupčinskas, Chair of the Division of Biological, Medical, and Geosciences of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
Photography Virginija Valuckienė

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