Electrical mapping of the projections of intrinsic primary afferent neurones to the mucosa of the guinea-pig small intestine

Abstract

The patterns of innervation of the mucosa by axons of individual primary afferent neurones with cell bodies in the myenteric plexus were studied by mapping sites from which electrical stimulation of the mucosa elicited action potentials (APs) in their cell bodies. Segments of guinea-pig ileum were dissected to reveal the myenteric plexus over half of the intestinal circumference, leaving the mucosa intact over the other half. Intracellular recordings were taken from myenteric neurones located within 1 mm of the intact mucosa. Focal electrical stimuli were applied to the mucosa at multiple locations separated by about 1 mm. Neurones that responded had round or oval cell bodies with several lo..