Resting functional magnetic resonance images of the brain in functional gastrointestinal diseases: a concise review of the literature

Abstract

Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) are prevalent illnesses associated with diminished quality of life and increased healthcare utilization. These conditions influence gut sensitivity, motility, microbiota, immunological function, and nervous processing in the brain. Chronic symptoms, including pain and dyspepsia, are exacerbated by maladaptive patient behaviors, stress, and co-morbidity. Studies of functional neuroimaging reveal increased brain responses in regions associated with gut sensory processing and salient cues, altered central regulation of endocrine and autonomic nerve responses, and aberrant connections in pain processing and the default mode network. This neuroimaging helps us understand the pathophysiology and outcomes of patients better. From the standpoint of brain connection, research in this area can further our understanding of the central pathophysiology of FGID and pave the way for the objective diagnosis and development of novel therapeutics for FGID. Prospective Neuroimaging research may change from brain mapping to clinical prognosis prediction due to technological advances in machine learning algorithms used in imaging. The usefulness and revelations of functional brain imaging are highlighted in this review, along with the areas that require development and, lastly, recommendations for future research. © 2025, Gastroenterology and Hepatology From Bed to Bench (GHFBB). This is an open-access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by nc/4.0/) which permits others to copy and redistribute the material just in noncommercial usages, provided the original work is properly cited.