A team of the Physiology and Pathophysiology of the Digestive Tract group at Vall d’Hebron Institute of Research (VHIR), that studies the Irritable Bowel Syndrome, has described structural alterations in the duodenum of patients with Functional Dyspepsia (FD). This extremely common disorder has always been considered a functional gastrointestinal problem rather than structural, but now for the first time, researchers have found biological alterations. Specifically, patients with FD displayed increased duodenal mucosal permeability, associated with altered expression of cell-to-cell adhesion proteins. These proteins correlate with the extent of increased permeability and the severity of low-grade duodenal inflammation. In the long term, these findings may be an attractive therapeutic target for treating patients with FD.The results of the study, "http://gut.bmj.com/content/early/2013/03/07/gutjnl-2012-303857.abstract?sid=06a7cdcd-08da-49a8-b787-aafe66e91a44" published in GUT and realized with the collaboration of Dr. Ricard Farré and his team at the Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders, specify the impaired duodenal mucosal integrity and bring a new view on this disorder. Besides, "the high level of similarity between these findings in the duodenal mucosal and the rest of the digestive tract related with Irritable Bowel Syndrome suggest that the onset of the disorder is very similar, although manifestations are located in different parts of the digestive tract", reports Dr. Javier Santos, head of this research line at VHIR. Functional Dyspepsia is defined as the presence of symptoms thought to originate in the gastroduodenal region, in the absence of any organic, systemic or metabolic disease that readily explains the complaints. It is one of the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders, affecting up to 20-40% of the population. Studies indicate that FD is a heterogeneous disorder, in which several pathophysiological disturbances are associated with speci?c symptom patterns. Because of the lack of effective treatment options, FD is associated with signi?cantly impaired quality of life and considerable healthcare costs, emphasizing the importance to unravel its pathophysiology.