Then I Am Myself the World Christof Koch Basic Books, $30

The human brain is the most complex information integrator known in the universe. With 86 billion neurons and 100 trillion connections between them, the brain gives us our rich subjective experiences and our capacity for free will — our consciousness.

Despite being a universal human phenomenon, consciousness is notoriously difficult to describe, and scientists still debate how it arises. In Then I Am Myself the World, neuroscientist Christof Koch offers the latest entry into the long list of books attempting to demystify the origins of our inner lives (SN: 1/5/22). While the topic can be a head-scratcher, Koch’s adept use of analogies and entertaining anecdotes — complete with his own near-death experience and psychedelic drug trips — make the book a compelling and surprisingly light read.

Stress sensitive neural circuits change the gut microbiome and the duodenal glands.

Precision mapping of a gut-brain circuit w/ functional impact.

Glands in the small intestine (Brunner’s) have GLP-1 receptors, are stress-sensitive, connect to the brain via the vagal nerve, modulate bacterial…

Stress leads to disarray of the gut microbiome, which in turn causes inflammation and a drop in the body’s ability to fend off infection.

Microbe found in cat poo could be harnessed to deliver large, complex proteins across the blood–brain barrier.

As a medical scientist, he looks at how new findings will help develop new treatments to revive people now considered hopeless and restore brain damage.