1st Edition

Innervation of the Gastrointestinal Tract

Edited By Simon Brookes, Marcello Costa Copyright 2002

    The long tube that makes up the gastrointestinal tract is composed of a variety of tissue types and is the largest internal organ of the body. Its main function is to digest food and absorb the released nutrients. Furthermore, it is subdivided into functionally distinct regions that each mediate one of a variety of actions upon the food consumed, including ingestion, propulsion, secretion, digestion, absorption and expulsion. Autonomic neuronal circuitry is intimately involved in controlling many of these multiple functions of the gut, making it an appealing subject for the study of neuroscientists.
    This book reviews the state of current knowledge on the innervation of the gut by the enteric nervous system, and its interface with the extrinsic innervation, from a number of different perspectives, with the aim of providing a comprehensive and accessible account of the subject.

    1. Enteric Reflexes that Influence Motility 2. Motor Control of the Stomach 3. Control of Gastric Functions by Extrinsic Sensory Neurons 4. Neural Control of the Large Intestine 5. Neurons of the Gallbladder and Sphincter of Oddi 6. Pharmacology of the Enteric Nervous System 7. Neuroeffector Transmission in the Intestine 8. Neural Control of Intestinal Vessels 9. Enteric Neuro-Immunophysiology 10. Cellular Organisation of the Mammalian Enteric Nervous System 11. Development of the Enteric Nervous System

    Biography

    Simon Brookes, Marcello Costa

    "The book is really fascinating, and should be a 'must' on the bookshelf of every gastroenterologist with an interest in the 'hard' science of neurogastroenterology."
    - Digestive and Liver Disease Journal, 2004