GI Motility Flashcards
What are the pacemaker cells of the GI tract?
Interstitial cells of Cajal
What are the four phase of the GI ‘cycle’? What are the types of stimuli that regulate them?
Cephalic (neural-anticipatory), gastric (mechanical-distension), intestinal (chemical-mechanical), interdigestive (neural-hormonal)
What serves as the extrinsic neural regulator of GI motility?
Parasympathetics transmitted through the Vagus n.
What serves as the intrinsic nervous regulator of GI motility?
The enteric nervous system
What are the effects of the myenteric plexus on GI motility?
Increased intensity of rhythm of contraction, increased tone, increased rhythm rate, increased velocity of contraction
What are the functions of the submucosal plexus?
Regulation of GI blood flow, controls epithelial function
What are the two types of smooth muscle in the GI tract and where are they found?
Unitary (circular and longitudinal muscle layers), and multi-unit (sphincters)
What type of smooth muscle has a more rapid response time? Why?
Multi-unit smooth muscle in sphincters– every smooth muscle cell has a variscosity associated with it
How are action potentials transmitted through multi-unit smooth muscle?
Gap junctions
What are the two types of movement activated by the enteric nervous system? What muscles are responsible for each
Segmental contractions (mostly circular) and peristalsis (circular and longitudinal)
What is the typical stimulus for peristalsis?
Distension
True or False: Peristalsis requires an intact ENS but not an intact ANS.
True
What is GI segementation?
Mixing of contents to promote digestion and absorption
How is peristalsis achieved?
Circular muscle contracts behind the bolus and relaxes ahead of it and longitudinal muscle relaxes behind the bolus and contracts ahead of it
What maintains the tonic contraction of GI sphincters?
Prostaglandins
What compounds relax sphincters?
NO and VIP
What is aerophagia?
Swallowed air
What are the local neural pathways for smooth muscle activity?
Stimulation of a stretch, mechano-, or chemo-receptor activates an excitatory, ascending orad pathway to stimulate contraction behind the bolus, and inhibitory, descending aborad pathway to stimulate relaxation ahead of the bolus
How is myogenic control of smooth muscle actiity mediated?
Basic electrical rhythm
What is basic electrical rhythm in regards to GI motility?
Cyclical depolarization/ repolarization of smooth muscle cell membranes
How is BER propagated and in what direction?
Through gap junctions aborally (caudad)
How does the rate of BER change down the GI tract?
Decreases
What determines the strength of smooth muscle contractions in the GI tract?
Frequency of action potentials
What are the functions of the interstitial cells of Cajal?
Serve as electrical pacemakers and generate spontaneous electrical slow waves in the GI tract
How do motor neurons interact with the ICCs?
Excitatory motor neurons release ACh or Substance P onto ICC resulting in excitation or inhibitory motor neurons release NO or VIP, resulting in inhibition
True or False: Slow wave cyclical depolarization/ repolarization is sufficient to stimulate contraction?
False: have to superimpose action potentials to get membrane potential above threshold
In which GI motility phase do migrating motility complexes occur?
Interdigestive phase
Which MMC phase has them most slow waves superimposed with action potentials? Which pahse lasts the longest?
Phase 3; Phase 1`