EMBO POSTER – BEYOND THE MICROBIOTA–GUT–BRAIN AXIS

BEYOND THE MICROBIOTA–GUT–BRAIN AXIS

An Integrative Conceptual Framework for Psychogastroenterology:
the Microbiota–Gut–Brain–Mind Framework

Presented at the EMBO Workshop

Gut-brain communication in stress resilience and health

Massimo Agnoletti, PhD

Psychologist • Researcher • Lecturer

Humanitas University - Verona University, Italy

Key Message

Mind is not an additional biological component of the Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis.

It represents the level at which psychological processes are conceptualized, investigated, and clinically addressed.

The MGBMF therefore extends the explanatory architecture of the Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis without replacing its
biological foundations.

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THE MICROBIOTA–GUT–BRAIN AXIS

The Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis (MGBA) has fundamentally transformed our understanding of bidirectional communication between the gut microbiota, the gastrointestinal tract, and the central and enteric nervous systems.

It represents one of the most influential biological frameworks in contemporary biomedicine.

THE CONCEPTUAL GAP

While the MGBA successfully integrates biological mechanisms across multiple physiological systems, it does not explicitly specify how biological and psychological levels of explanation should be conceptually integrated.

This is particularly relevant for psychogastroenterology, where psychological processes are routinely investigated, assessed, and therapeutically targeted alongside biological mechanisms.

Consequently, the theoretical role of psychological assessment and intervention remains largely implicit within the current microbiota–gut–brain architecture.

In this context, where is the psychological level in the current model?

MICROBIOTA–GUT–BRAIN–MIND FRAMEWORK (MGBMF)

We propose the Microbiota–Gut–Brain–Mind Framework (MGBMF) as an integrative conceptual framework that explicitly organizes biological and psychological levels of explanation within psychogastroenterology, while fully preserving the biological architecture of the MGBA.

What does “Mind” mean in this framework?

Mind does not denote an independent biological entity. It represents the epistemological level at which psychological processes are conceptualized, investigated, and clinically addressed.

Biological and psychological phenomena are intrinsically interconnected, while remaining conceptually distinct levels of scientific explanation.

FROM MGBA TO MGBMF

The proposed framework does not replace the Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis.

Instead, it makes explicit a level of analysis that is already essential to psychogastroenterology but remains implicitly represented in the traditional MGBA model.

MGBA
Microbiota ↔ Gut ↔ Brain
Biological communication architecture

MGBMF
Microbiota ↔ Gut ↔ Brain ↔ Mind
Integration of biological and
psychological levels of explanation

Rather than replacing the Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis, the proposed framework provides a coherent conceptual architecture that explicitly integrates biological and psychological levels of explanation.

WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

Making the psychological level explicit may:

• strengthen theoretical coherence in psychogastroenterology;

• facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue;

• generate new interdisciplinary research questions;

• improve the translation of biological knowledge into psychological research and clinical practice.