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Mediators and Drugs in Gastrointestinal Motility I pp 145–179Cite as

Electrophysiology of the Enteric Neurons

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Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 59 / 1))

Abstract

Early investigations into the function of the neurons of the enteric nervous system were made by studying the peristaltic reflex of isolated tissue (Trendelenburg 1971). That this reflex involved intramural neurons was first demonstrated by Feldberg and Lin (1949) and Paton and Zaimis (1949). Their demonstration of the presence within the gut wall of cholinergic neurons was followed by the finding of a powerful group of nonadrenergic inhibitory neurons in the intestine (Bennett et al. 1966 a). The functional roles of these neuronal classes will be discussed in Chaps. 4,8; the present chapter deals exclusively with studies of the electrical properties of the enteric neurons themselves. An indication will be given, so far as is possible, of how knowledge of single neuron properties has been helpful in working out the ways in which the enteric nervous system functions, and of how this function can be interpreted in terms of gastrointestinal motility.

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  1. R. A. North
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, University of Parma, Parma, I-43100, Italy

    Giulio Bertaccini M.D. (Head of the Department of Pharmacology) (Head of the Department of Pharmacology)

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North, R.A. (1982). Electrophysiology of the Enteric Neurons. In: Bertaccini, G. (eds) Mediators and Drugs in Gastrointestinal Motility I. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 59 / 1. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68437-1_6

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