Chemical coding of enteric neurons

Abstract

Publisher This chapter describes earlier observations that lead to the view that there is a precise multiple neurochemical coding of the subpopulations of enteric neurons, which form the intricate neuronal circuits that control intestinal functions. In the mammalian enteric nervous system, there are as many neurons as in the spinal cord, and there are numerous different enteric neurons characterized by the substances they contain, their shapes, and their projections. Most gastrointestinal functions—that is, motility with its vast repertoire of behavior, blood flow, and secretion and absorption of water and electrolytes—are known to be controlled or influenced by autonomic nerves. The discove..