Contractile activity in intestinal muscle evokes action potential discharge in guinea-pig myenteric neurons

Abstract

1. The process by which stretch of the external muscle of the intestine leads to excitation of myenteric neurons was investigated by intracellular recording from neurons in isolated longitudinal muscle-myenteric plexus preparations from the guinea-pig. 2. Intestinal muscle that was stretched by 40 % beyond its resting size in either the longitudinal or circular direction contracted irregularly. Both multipolar, Dogiel type II, neurons and uniaxonal neurons generated action potentials in stretched tissue. Action potentials persisted when the membrane potential was hyperpolarized by passing current through the recording electrode for 10 of 14 Dogiel type II neurons and 1 of 18 uniaxonal neuron..