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Enteric Nervous System and GI Motility
Neuropods
Enteroendocrine cells (EECs) are sensory cells of the gastrointestinal tract. Most EECs reside in the mucosal lining of the stomach or intestine and sense food in the gut lumen. Food signals stimulate the release of hormones into the paracellular space where they either act locally or are taken up into the blood and circulate to distant organs. It recently was recognized that many EECs possess basal processes known as neuropods that not only contain hormones but also connect to nerves. This review describes how neuropods contribute to EEC function beyond typical hormonal actions.Enteric Glia: A New Player in Abdominal Pain
Chronic abdominal pain is the most common gastrointestinal issue and contributes to the pathophysiology of functional bowel disorders and inflammatory bowel disease. Current theories suggest that neuronal plasticity and broad alterations along the brain-gut axis contribute to the development of chronic abdominal pain, but the specific mechanisms involved in chronic abdominal pain remain incompletely understood. Accumulating evidence implicates glial cells in the development and maintenance of chronic pain.Measurement of Gastrointestinal and Colonic Motor Functions in Humans and Animals
The ability to assess the complex motor functions of the gastrointestinal tract accurately has been of tremendous value to understanding and treating digestive diseases. Unlike other smooth or cardiac muscle organ systems with relatively more rhythmic and patterned motor behavior, the complexity of the diverse motor behaviors of the alimentary canal have made the development and use of clinical and preclinical tests of gastrointestinal motor function a great challenge. It is perhaps this complexity, as well as the importance of gastrointestinal function to overall health and well-being, that have fascinated early physiologists and continue to push modern physiologists and clinical diagnosticians to develop new and more accurate measurements of motility.Intrinsic Gastrointestinal Macrophages: Their Phenotype and Role in Gastrointestinal Motility
There is an increasing awareness of the role of macrophages in the regulation and maintenance of gastrointestinal function in health and disease. This work has proceeded in the context of an increased understanding of the complex phenotypic variation in macrophages throughout the body and has shown previously unidentified roles for macrophages in diseases such as gastroparesis, postoperative ileus, and inflammatory bowel disease. Opportunities for exploiting the phenotypic modulation of tissue resident macrophages have been identified as possible therapies for some of these diseases.
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