While irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, has largely been cla*sified as a “functional” condition as opposed to being a*sociated with organic pathology, new research published in the journal Gastroenterology suggests otherwise, as an a**lysis of the brains of these patients demonstrates structural changes in their brains. Here are some important facts about irritable bowel syndrome: – Patients with irritable bowel syndrome usually have abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea or constipation. Blood or mucous in the stool is not a feature. If they are present inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis may be present. – Any change in bowel habits should warrant medical attention as this could represent an inflammatory bowel condition or cancer. If you notice blood in your stool you should tell your doctor. – Your doctor may order a colonoscopy to look at the inside lining of your bowel if you have changes in bowel habits. This allows a specialist to search for inflamed areas or tumors. In patients with irritable bowel, no abnormal areas are detected. Researchers from UCLA and McGill University hypothesized that IBS may be related to structural changes in the brain. To perform their study, they looked at brain images from 55 female IBS patient and compared them to images of 48 control subjects who did not have this condition. They found that the brains of those with IBS had more grey matter in certain areas, and less in others. Specifically, increased grey matter …