Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common, debilitating and chronic dysfunction of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It can be agonizingly painful, embarrassing in its symptoms, and limiting to the individual who suffers from it. Sometimes they are afraid to be in too close proximity to other people or too far from the bathroom.
According to the Mayo Clinic, research has uncovered new information on IBS. The research found that IBS may have causes linked to a greater number of genes than previously thought. Serotonin, usually thought of in connection with the brain, is also involved with the "second brain" which is in the GI tract. And serotonin is now also known to be a contributing factor in IBS.
"Using a familiar analogy, Dr. Saito says, 'Rather than sending out a few patrol cars to look for culprits by rounding up "the usual suspects," we launched a genetic dragnet that took an objective, unbiased look at a broader range of possibilities.' They found a number of previously unknown IBS associations."
http://www.prohealth.com/ibs/library/showarticle.cfm?libid=15306