Meta-Environment No13: Enteric Nervous System – Neural Solution digestion, immunity and the gut-brain axis

The enteric nervous system (ENS) has long been viewed in anatomy as a simple peripheral plexus serving the gastrointestinal tract—a "second brain"—but without its own autonomous significance. However, modern research has radically revised this idea. The ENS is a complex, semi-autonomous neural network in two continuous plexuses along the entire gastrointestinal tract – from the esophagus to the rectum. This system regulates motility, secretion, local blood flow, intestinal immunity, and interacts with the microbiota, central nervous system, and immune system through the gut-brain axis. The ENS is an ancient, evolutionarily conserved structure already present in early animals such as hydras. In this article, we substantiate that the enteric nervous system is an active meta-environment No13 that meets all four criteria of the meta-environment. Aging of ENS is accompanied by neurodegeneration, macrophage shift to the pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype, decreased neurogenesis, and dysbiosis, which contributes to age-related gastrointestinal disorders and may initiate neurodegenerative brain diseases via the gut-brain axis. Systemic restoration of the ENS using the Quatotron method is presented, through multimodal physical action aimed at restoring neuronal function, reducing neuroinflammation and stimulating neurogenesis.