Abstract Visceral information reaches the brain through a diverse array of neural, humoral, and immune pathways, conveying an abundance of ascending visceral information that helps to maintain homeostasis within the…
Abstract Secretion and absorption of water and salt are essential for digestion, absorption of food, and the mucosal barrier that separates gut microbes from the rest of the body. It…
Abstract While a variety of peripheral candidate biomarkers related to functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) continue to be investigated, none appear to account for a large proportion of the symptom variance…
Abstract This chapter discusses major recent advances that have been made in our understanding of intrinsic myogenic control mechanisms of the stomach and the complex interactions between intrinsic excitatory and…
Abstract Overview of new advances in understanding enteric neurogenesis is achieved in this chapter. The enteric nervous system (ENS) is a network of neurons and supporting glial cells in the…
Abstract This chapter provides an overview of the current knowledge of neuronal and muscular features of biliary tract motility and its regulation during healthy and pathophysiological conditions. The chapter is…
Abstract The human colon absorbs water and electrolytes stores feces until elimination is socially convenient, and salvages nutrients by bacterial metabolism of nutrients that were not absorbed in the small…
Abstract Enteric neurons and glial cells arise from neural crest cells, most of which emigrate from the caudal hindbrain (“vagal” level) and then migrate into and along the developing gastrointestinal…
Abstract Control of pelvic floor muscles (PFM) is regulated by somatic afferent and efferent nerves from the sacral spinal cord; these are integrated at the spinal cord and brainstem levels…
Abstract The primary function of the gastrointestinal tract is to digest and absorb nutrients. To accomplish this, it must maintain a barrier between the luminal environment, technically a space outside…
