Physiology Flashcards
Function of mouth
Chops and lubricates food
Starts carb digestion
Propels food to oesophagus
Oesophagus
Propels food to stomach
Stomach
Stores and churns food
Continuous carb digestion
Regulates delivery of chyme to duodenum
Small intestine
Duodenum, jejunum and ileum
Site of digestion and absorption of nutrients
Large intestine
Caecum, appendix and colon
Colon reabsorbs fluids and electrolytes, stores faecal matter before delivery to rectum
Rectum and Anus
Regulates expulsion of faeces
Mucosa
Mucous membrane
Lamina propria
Muscularis mucosae
Submucosa
Connective tissue
Larger blood and lymph vessels
Glands
Submucous plexus
Muscularis externa
Circular muscular layer
Myenteric plexus
Longlitudinal muscle layer
Serosa
Connective tissue
Motility
Mechanical activity mostly involving smooth muscle
Secretion
Secretion into lumen of digestive tract occurs from itself and accessory structures in response to the presence of food, hormonal and neural signs
Digestion
Chemical breakdown by enzymatic hydrolysis of complex foodstuffs to smaller absorbable units
Absorption
Transfer of absorbable products of digestion from digestive tract to blood or lymph
Circular muscle contraction
lumen becomes narrower and longer
Longitudinal muscle contraction
intestine becomes shorter and fatter
Muscularis mucosa contraction
Change in absorptive and secretory area of mucosa
Mixing activity
Electric coupling
Adjacent smooth muscles are coupled by gap junctions, electrical currents flow from cell to cell
Hundreds of cells are depolarised and contract at the same time as a synchronous wave
Spontaneous activity across coupled cells is driven by
specialised pacemaker cells
Spontaneous activity across coupled cells is modulated by
Intrinsic and extrinsic nerves
Hormones
Slow wave electrical activity determines
frequency, direction and velocity of rhythmic contraction
Slow wave electrical activity is driven by
ICC’s
Interstitial Cells of Cajal
ICC’s
Pacemaker cells located largely between circular and longitudinal muscle layers
True of False:
Depolarising waves always cause contraction
FALSE
Contraction only occurs if the slow wave amplitude is sufficient to reach a threshold to trigger smooth muscle cell calcium action potentials
Force of contraction is related to
Number of action potentials discharged
Wether a slow wave reaches the threshold depends on
Neuronal stimuli
Hormonal stimuli
Mechanical stimuli
Parasympathetic Innervation - excitatory influence
Increased gastric, pancreatic and small intestine secretion
Increased blood flow and smooth muscle contraction
Parasympathetic Innervation - inhibitory influence
Relaxation of sphincters
Sympathetic innervation - excitatory influence
Increased sphincter tone
Sympathetic innervation - inhibitory influence
Decreased motility, secretion and blood flow
where are cell bodies of enteric nervous system located
Ganglia
Local reflex
Peristalsis
Short reflex
Intestino-intestinal inhibitory reflex
Local distension activates sensory neurones, inhibits muscle activity
Long reflex
Gastrolineal Reflex
Increase in gastric activity causing propulsive activity
Peristalsis
Wave of relaxation followed by contraction
Precedes short distance along gut in aboral direction
Triggered by distension of gut wall
Segmentation
Rhythmic contractions of circular muscle layer that mix and divide luminal content
Colonic mass movement
Powerful sweeping contraction that forces faeces into rectum
Occurs a few times a day
Migrating motor complex (MMC)
Powerful sweeping contraction from stomach to terminal ileum
Inhibited by feeding and vagal activity
Triggered by motolin
Tonic contraction
Sustained contractions
Low pressure = organs with storage functions
High pressure = sphincters
How many sphincters in GI tract
6
Sphincters in GI tract
Upper oesophageal Lower oesophageal Pyloric Ileocaecal Internal anal sphincter External anal sphincter
Upper oesophageal sphincters
Relaxes to allow swallowing
Closes during inspiration
Lower oesophageal sphincter
Relaxes to permit entry of food to stomach
Closes to prevent reflux of gastric contents
Pyloric sphincter
Regulates gastric emptying
Prevents duodenal gastric reflux
Internal and External anal sphincters
Regulated by defecation reflex
normal BMI
20 - 25
Overweight BMI
25-30
Obese BMI
30-40
Morbidly obese BMI
Over 40
Lesioning ventromedial hypothalamus
obesity
Lesioning lateral hypothalamus
leanness
Satiation
Sensation of fullness generated during a meal
Satiety
Period of time between termination of one meal and initiation of next
Adiposity
State of being obese
Satiation signals increase
during meal to limit size
Satiation signals
CCK Peptide YY Glucagon-like peptide OXM Obestatin
Glucaogon-like peptide 1
Released from L cells in response to food ingestion
Inhibits gastric emptying and reduces food intake
OXM
Oxyntomodulin
Released from oxyntic cells and L cells
Acts to suppress appetite
Grehlin
Hunger signal
Increases before meals, decreases after
Glutamate, Gaba and opioids
Increase food intake when injected into hypothalamus centre
Monoamines
Suppress food intake
2 hormones report fat status to brain
Leptin
Insulin
Leptin
made and released from fat cells
Insulin
Made and released from pancreatic cells
Stomach shape
J shaped bag
Relaxes to accommodate food from oesophagus
What nerve causes stomach to relax
Vagus
2 regions of stomach
Orad
Caudad
Orad region
Fundus and proximal body
Degree of tone and maintained contractile activity
Caudad region
Distal body and antrum body
Rhythmic patterns or contractions, intermittent
Orad contraction
No slow wave electrical activity
Tonic, weak contractions
As stomach empties, size slowly decreases
Gastrin decreases contractions and hence rate of stomach emptying
Caudad contraction
Slow waves occur
Phasic peristaltic contraction
Retropulsion
Pyloric end of stomach acts as a pump that delivers small amounts of chyme into the duodenum
Simultaneously forces most of its contained material backward into stomach
Strength of antral wave determines …
strength of chyme in stomach
Strength of antral wave is determined by
Gastric Factors
Duodenal Factors
Gastric factors
- Rate of emptying proportional to volume of chyme in stomach
- Consistency of chyme
(thinner chyme is quicker)
Distension increases motility due to
Stretching smooth muscle
Stimulation of intrinsic nerve plexuses
Increased vagus nerve activity and gastrin release