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Brain-Gut Therapies for Pediatric Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology (S Orenstein and S Khan, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

The purpose of this review is to discuss current knowledge of brain-gut therapies (BGT) in pediatric functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including their evidence base, the common psychopathology that they address, and the integration of this knowledge into medical settings.

Recent Findings

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), hypnotherapy (HT), mindfulness-based therapy (MBT), and exposure-based therapy (EBT) have the most data supporting their use in children, particularly in FGID, more so than in IBD. This difference is most likely because of the increased role of psychological factors in FGID, though these same factors can be seen comorbidly in IBD. Integrative BGT treatment strategies with the collaboration of clinicians across disciplines may provide the most benefit to patients.

Summary

This review details our current understanding of the evidence for BGT in pediatric FGID and IBD and how they may best be used in treatment strategies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Place, Box 1656, New York, NY, 10029, USA

    Hannibal Person

  2. Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA

    Laurie Keefer

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Correspondence to Hannibal Person.

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Laurie Keefer reports personal fees from MetaMe Connect and non-financial support from Rome Foundation Board of Directors outside the submitted work.

Hannibel Person declares no conflict of interest.

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Person, H., Keefer, L. Brain-Gut Therapies for Pediatric Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Curr Gastroenterol Rep 21, 12 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-019-0683-8

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