Regulation of gut function Flashcards
Where do sympathetic preganglionic neurones arise from? (s)
- Sympathetic preganglionic neurons arise from the thoracic and lumbar spinal cord
- Stomach (T6-9)
- Colon (L2-5)
What do postganglionic neurons innervate? (s)
•Postganglionic neurons innervating
- Stomach - coeliac ganglion
- Small intestine – superior mesenteric ganglion
- Colon – inferior mesenteric and pelvic ganglion
What postganglionic neurone innervates the stomach? (s)
Coeliac ganglion
What postganglionic neurone innervates the stomach? (s)
Superior mesenteric ganglion
What postganglionic neurone innervates the stomach? (s)
Inferior mesenteric and pelvic ganglion
What is the main neurotransmitter? (s)
norepinephrine
What does the sympathetic nervous system do to the GI tract?
Inhibit
Where is the parasympathetic innervation to the stomach, small intestine and proximal colon supplied by? (p)
Vagus nerve
Where do the preganglionic neurons originate? (p)
-In dorsal vagal complex within brainstem from sacral spinal cord
What is the main neurotransmitter? (p)
Acetylcholine
What does the activation of parasympathetic nervous system do to GI tract?
Stimulate GI tract
What is the enteric (intrinsic) nervous system?
- “The 2nd brain”
- Autonomous
- Can also interact with sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
- The wall of the gastrointestinal tract contains many neurons – 2nd only to the brain
What is a plexus?
Network of intersecting nerves
What is mucosa?
- Epithelium
- Lamina propria
- Musuclaris mucosa
What is in the submucosa?
- Meissner’s (submucosa) plexus
- Lymph drainage, blood supply
What is in the muscularis propria?
- Circular muscle
- Auerbach’s (myenteric) plexus
- Longitudinal muscle
What is deep to the muscular propria?
Serosa or Adventitia
What is the function of Myenteric (Auerbach’s) plexus?
- controls activity of muscularis externa
- controls gut motor (motility) function
- tone, velocity of contraction and intensity of contraction.
What is the function of Submucosal (Meissner’s) plexus?
- senses the local environment (gut lumen)
2. controls secretion, blood flow, epithelial and endocrine cell function
What happens to the food entering?
- Enteric nervous system: local reflex
1. Food enters gut lumen and stretches the intestinal smooth muscles
2. Distension of the gut causes stimulation of the sensory neurons in the myenteric plexus
3. Chemicals in food stimulates sensory neurons in submucosal plexus
4. Sequential contraction/relaxation of circular and longitudinal muscle by inhibitory/excitatory neurotransmitter cause peristalsis, which allows food to move along the GI tract
What is peristalsis?
- Wave of muscular contractions (peristalsis) move the bolus through the small intestine
- Circular and longitudinal muscles work in opposite ways i.e. one contracts while the other relaxes
- In oesophagus, colon, stomach etc
What does the circular muscle do in peristalsis?
Contracts behind the bolus of food
What does the longitudinal muscle do in peristalsis?
Contract ahead of the bolus (food) causing it to shorten and widen to receive the bolus
How does sympathetic help the enteric?
- ‘fight and flight’
- reduces peristalsis
- reduces absorption
- reduces secretion
- reduces blood flow (via enteric nervous system and also directly)
How does the parasympathetic help the enteric?
- ‘rest and digest’
- increases peristalsis
- increases absorption
- increases secretion
- increases blood flow
What is Hirschsprung’s disease?
- Congenital absence of ganglion of myenteric and submucosal
- Tonal contraction without reciprocal relaxation
- Intestinal distension proximal to aganglionic segment of bowel
- Most will require surgery
What are endocrine gut hormones?
- secreted by enteroendocrine cells
- hormone released into bloodstream
- gastrin, cholecystokinin, secretin, glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP), motilin
What are paracrine gut hormones?
- secreted by enteroendocrine cells
- hormone that acts only within the vicinity that it is released
- diffuses through extracellular space
- somatostatin and histamine
- hormones with both endocrine and paracrine mechanisms: glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), pancreatic polypeptide, and peptide YY
What are neurocrine gut hormones?
- secreted by postganglionic non-cholinergic neurons of the enteric nervous system
- hormone that affects ‘nerves’
- vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), gastrin release peptide (GRP), and enkephalins
Where are enteroendocrine cells?
-Specialised epithelial cells located at the base of of intestinal crypts throughout the GI tract, from stomach to colon