ISSN:
1433-8580
Keywords:
Colon motility
;
Smooth muscle electrical activity
;
Slow waves
;
Electro-mechanical coupling
;
Spontaneous rhythmicity
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Summary 1. Spontaneous electrical and contractile activity were studied in the colon of fasted, unanesthetized cats. Needle electrodes and strain-gage transducers had been implanted on the serosal side along the colon 10 days to 5 months prior to the experiments. 2. Electrical activity consisted of spikes, oscillations, and slow waves. Slow waves were omnipresent. Spikes and oscillations occurred intermittently. 3. Mean slow-wave frequency was 5.3 cpm in the ascending, 5.4 cpm in the transverse, and 5.5 cpm in the descending colon. 4. Spike bursts exhibited 2 different rhythmic patterns: a) short bursts which were phase locked to slow waves; b) prolonged sequences occurring at frequencies of 0.7–1.4 cpm. The first type was prevalent in the proximal, the second one in the distal colon. 5. The patterns of contractions followed those of the spikes, i.e. contractions of the descending colon were very slow and sustained, in contrast to the proximal colon. 6. It is concluded that motility of the intact colon is determined largely by 2 types of electrical oscillators: A slow-wave oscillator which is more labile than in upper parts of the gut and an ultraslow oscillator.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01852210
