Centrally acting therapies for irritable bowel syndrome.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders typically defy traditional diagnostic methods based on structural abnormalities, and has led to the emergence of the discipline of neurogastroenterology or the study of the "brain-gut axis," which is based on dysregulation of neuroenteric pathways as a key pathophysiological feature of IBS. Centrally acting treatments can influence these pathways and improve the clinical manifestations of pain and bowel dysfunction associated with this disorder. To successfully implement these treatment strategies, it is important to recognize their dual effects on brain and gut, understanding the nature and severity of the GI symptoms and their psychosocial concomitants, and applying them within the context of the patient's understanding of their value.