The gut is responsible for digesting the food we eat, which provides the whole body with nutrients.

In this movie, the gut is explored using light sheet microscopy based on the resources created as part of the HPA program. The major parts of the gut are visualized in this movie, the intestinal epithelium with its finger-like surface lining the inside of the gut, the smooth muscle surrounding the gut and the very complex local nervous system of the gut. The 3D images show the impressively complex network of nerve cells and projections in the intestinal wall and underlying layers. Meet Dr Evelina Sjöstedt describing the basic structures of the gut and discussing why the local brain of the gut is of interest.

Watch the nervous gut movie and other educational movies at the HPA YouTube channel.

Acknowledgements:
Light sheet movies: Dr Csaba Adori, Karolinska Institutet
Interview: Dr Evelina Sjöstedt, Karolinska Institutet
Source of tissue: Prof Fredrik Pontén, Uppsala University and Dr Csaba Adori
Funding: Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation
Production: FaktaBruket, Stockholm