Computer simulation of the enteric neural circuits mediating an ascending reflex: Roles of fast and slow excitatory outputs of sensory neurons

Abstract

Recent electrophysiological studies of the properties of intestinal reflexes and the neurons that mediate them indicate that the intrinsic sensory neurons may transmit to second order neurons via either fast (30-50 ms duration) or slow (10-60 s duration) excitatory synaptic potentials or both, Which of these possible modes of transmission is involved in the initiation of motility reflexes has not been determined and it is nor clear what the consequences of the different forms of synaptic transmission would be for the properties of the reflex pathways. In the present study, this question has been addressed by the use of a suite of computer programs, Plexus, which was written to simulate the a..