Stomach Physio Flashcards
Types of muscles in GI (2)
smooth muscle
1. longitudinal muscle
2. circular muscle
what controls contraction of smooth muscle
pacemaker cell - interstitial cell of cajal (connects to both longitudinal & circular muscle)
what are the characteristics of action potentials interstitial cell of cajal creates? (2)
- usually: slow waves without action potential (lower than threshold potential) and contraction
- under certain conditions (food): action potential triggered, contraction occurs
Activity of smooth muscles in (1) sphincters; (2) blood vessels/ airways; (3) stomach/ intestines; (4) esophagus/ urinary bladder
(1) normally contracted, occasionally relax
(2) normally partially contracted and varies slightly (tone)
(3) phasically active (peristalsis etc)
(4) normally relaxed, occasionally contracted
What occurs in mastication? (4)
- food broken down by chewing and mixed with saliva to enhance TASTE
- mucous in saliva lubricate food, ease swallowing
- salivary enzymes (a-amylase) mixed with food
- increase SA of food by breaking into smaller pieces
process of swallowing (3)
- Oral (voluntary) phase - chewing, food bolus formation
- Pharyngeal phase (involuntary) (1-2 s)
- Oesophageal phase (involuntary) - pri peristalsis + sec peristalsis
steps in pharyngeal phase of swallowing (5)
- tongue block oral cavity (prevent backflow of food)
- vocal folds close to protect airway to lungs
- soft palate blocks entrance into nasal cavity
- larynx pulled up with epiglottis covering entrance to trachea (respiration inhibited)
- upper esophgeal sphincter opens to allow passage to esophagus
what is primary peristalsis
- voluntary process
- generated by swallowing signal
what is secondary peristalsis
- involuntary process (smooth muscle)
- generated by food bolus which stretches smooth muscle -> create peristaltic wave
arrangement of layers of stomach (8)
mucosa (outermost layer):
- epithelium - simple columnar
- lamina propria
- muscularis mucosae
submucosa
muscularis layer:
- oblique layer
- circular
- longitudinal (deepest)
**same as intestines & esophagus except no oblique muscles for both
what are the 3 motor functions of stomach and where do they occur
- reservoir function [proximal, fundus] - relaxation, accommodation
- churning function [distal, antrum]
- emptying function [antrum-pylorus-duodenum unit]
2 types of stomach relaxation to serve as reservoir
- receptive relaxation - swallowing signal + peristalsis triggers stomach relaxation
- adaptive relaxation - accomodate increase volume of food, gastric stretch receptors send signal via vagal afferent to CNS -> CNS send signals back via vagal efferent to relax stomach (VAGO-VAGAL reflex) through NO and VIP (vasoactive intestinal peptide)
what happens to stomach after vagotomy (removal of vagus nerve)
- loss of vago-vagal reflex -> stomach cannot expand despite food filling up -> intraluminal pressures increase
What is the purpose of gastric churning
- break food down into smaller pieces
what happens during gastric churning & trituration (3)
- propulsion - peristaltic wave push food towards closed pylorus (food stuck at antrum)
- grinding - antrum churns trapped food via antral contraction
- food is pushed back into proximal stomach and is broken down in the process
*repeats to break food down into small size
what regulates gastric emptying
- pyloric sphincter (part of the antro-pyloric-duodenal unit)
- prevents duodenal-gastric reflux
what characteristics of food INHIBIT (slow down) gastric emptying
- pH - acids inhibit
- tonicity - hypertonic (less water) inhibits
- fatty acids inhibits
factors affecting gastric motility
Neural control
- vagal nerve -> eg stress, nausea
- vago-vagal reflex
Hormonal control
- gastrin -> stimulate gastric motility
- CCK, secretin, GIP -> inhibit gastric motility
2 characteristics of intestinal motility
- peristalsis
- segmentation
describe intestinal peristalsis (2)
propulsive segment:
- longitudinal muscle relax, circular muscle contract
- contraction of lumen
receiving segment
- longitudinal muscle contract, circular muscle inhibits
- dilation of lumen
LONG RANGE - compared to segmentation (local)
**peristalsis is triggered by RADIAL STRETCH of intestinal wall
describe segmentation
- back and forth movement (local reflex) -> allow mixing of bolus
what happens during interdigestive periods (no food in lumen)
migrating motor complex (MMC) - intestinal contractions every 90-120min
- housekeeping -> continual sweeping of food debris to colon
- inhibit migration of colonic bacteria into distal ileum
**triggered by motilin (hormone released during fasting)
MMC stops when food enters small intestine and starts again when it is empty