{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,20]],"date-time":"2026-10-20T12:18:22Z","timestamp":1792498702314,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":143,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]],"date-time":"2026-06-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780444800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Neurosci."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Traditional cognitive science has historically confined the mind within the cranium. While the \u201csecond brain\u201d metaphor underscores the autonomy of the enteric nervous system, it remains entrenched in a neurocentric paradigm. Here, we propose a transformative framework: the gut microbiota may function as a constitutively relevant contributor to specific embodied cognitive architectures. We contend that cognition, emotion, and behavior are not fully understandable in brain-isolated terms. Instead, these processes emerge from a sustained, bidirectional dialogue between the host and its symbiotic microbial ecosystem. Integrating 4E cognition theory, we systematically delineate how gut microbiota functions as an embedded signaling system\u2014producing cognitively active metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids and neuroactive substances\u2014to shape interoceptive states and neural function via neural, immune, and metabolic\/endocrine interfaces. We establish a rigorous evidential chain, categorized as \u201cdeprivation, replacement, observation, and intervention,\u201d synthesizing germ-free animal models, fecal microbiota transplantation, human multi-omics, and clinical interventions. These data\u2014drawn from animal models that establish causal necessity and sufficiency, human cohort studies that reveal systematic ecological associations, and proof-of-concept intervention trials that demonstrate clinical plasticity\u2014converge to support the view that microbiota-derived processes may be constitutively relevant to the realization of specific embodied cognitive architectures, especially those organized through interoceptive prediction, affective appraisal, and vagal-metabolic signaling, rather than functioning as merely transient or incidental regulators. The multi-level nature of this evidence base, spanning causal mechanisms in controlled settings to ecological validity in human populations, provides a robust foundation for reframing the gut microbiota as a symbiotic co-constructor of the embodied mind. Ultimately, we move beyond the linear \u201cgut-brain axis\u201d model to outline a multispecies framework for understanding the embodied architectures within which interoceptive, affective, and related cognitive processes unfold. This paradigm shift offers a novel biological foundation for the mind and enables precision interventions for mental health, such as psychobiotics and targeted ecological remodeling. Looking forward, we envision a unified \u201cmicrobiota-mind\u201d model that integrates computational modeling and ethical frameworks. This endeavor challenges the traditional concept of a \u201cself\u201d bounded by the skin, providing a roadmap for the future of precision psychiatry and cognitive science.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fnins.2026.1808839","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]],"date-time":"2026-06-03T04:50:29Z","timestamp":1780462229000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Beyond the \u2018second brain\u2019: the gut microbiota as a constitutive co-constructor of embodied cognitive network"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"20","author":[{"given":"Yue","family":"Gou","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Outpatient, West China Xiamen Hospital, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Xiamen","place":["Fujian, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xuemei","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wenjie","family":"Zhu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yanling","family":"Yuan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yu","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mental Health Center, National Center for Mental Disorders, West China Hospital, Sichuan University","place":["Chengdu, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qinglian","family":"Xie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Outpatient, West China Xiamen Hospital, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Xiamen","place":["Fujian, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"499","DOI":"10.1007\/s12551-022-00931-z","article-title":"Structural and functional adaptation in extremophilic microbial \u03b1-amylases.","volume":"14","author":"Ahmad","year":"2022","journal-title":"Biophys. 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