GI 1 Flashcards
GI tract: purpose
- food digestion
- absorption of nutrients and water
Primary disorders of the GI tract are related to:
- damage from gastric acid secretion
- abn food movement through GI tract
Components of GI tract
- mouth
- esophagus
- stomach
- small intestine
- large intestine
Components of large intestine
- colon
- rectum
- anus
This can function completely independently from the CNS and is known as the “brain in the bowel”
enteric nervous system
Why is the enteric nervous system the focus of a lot of research?
There are as many neurons in the small intestine as the spinal cord
Gut and immunity
gut contains 70-80% of the body’s immune cells
Intestinal layers: inside to outside
- mucosa
- submucosa
- muscularis
- serosa or adventitia
How many esophageal sphincters?
2
What are the esophageal sphincters
- upper
- lower
The lower esophageal sphincter is sometimes called the ______ sphincter
cardiac
Voluntary control of esophageal sphincters
Have control over upper, but not lower
What are the gastric secretions?
- acid
- enzymes (pepsin)
- mucus
- hormones (gastrin)
This helps to activate pepsin
hydrochloric acid
What does acid inactivate?
ingested microorganisms (bacteria)
