What layers does the GI tract include?
what is the enteric nervous system?
part of the autonomic nervous system that is found in the lining of the GI Tract, beginning at the oesophagus and extending down to the anus
what is the ENS involved in? what does it work dependently or independently with?
It is involved in the coordination of reflexes (although it receives innervation by the autonomic nervous system, it can work independently of the brain and the spinal cord).
what is the ENS composed of? where is this situated?
what does the Meissner’s plexus control?
mainly gastrointestinal secretion and local blood flow
what does the myenteric plexus control?
motility
This also secretes vasoactive intestinal polypeptide. The resulting inhibitory signals are especially useful for inhibiting some of the intestinal sphincter muscles that impede movement of food.
what neurones does the ENS consist of and what do these do?
The enteric nervous system includes afferent neurons, interneurons and efferent neurons.
Sensory neurons report on mechanical and chemical conditions.
Through intestinal muscles, the motor neurones control peristalsis and churning of intestinal contents.
what are the two types of movements that occur in the GI tract?
2. Mixing movements
peristalsis - what can stimulation at any point in the gut cause?
a contractile ring to appear in the circular muscle, and this ring then spreads along the gut tube.
what is the usual stimulus that causes a contractile ring to appear? (peristalsis) what does this stimulus cause?
distention of the gut
That is, if a large amount of food collects at any point in the gut, the stretching of the gut wall stimulates the enteric nervous system to contract the gut wall behind this point, and a contractile ring appears that initiates a peristaltic movement.
what else is a stimuli for peristalsis?
what does peristalsis require?
an active myenteric plexus
describe the movement of peristalsis, what actually happens?
what are the different stages of swallowing?
what is the cephalic stage?
This is the point where one is thinking about having a meal:
All of this is part of the process of which would induce the activity of swallowing
what is the oral stage?
mastication
• Mastication/ Chewing – this is the process by which food is crushed and ground by teeth.
It is the first step of digestion.
• Mastication increases the surface area of foods to allow more efficient break down by enzymes.
• During the mastication process, the food is positioned by the cheek and the tongue between the teeth for grinding.
• There are 4 muscles of mastication: masseter, temporalis, lateral pterygoid, medial pterygoid.
These are innervated by the mandibular branch (V3) of Trigeminal Nerve.
• Stimulation of specific reticular areas in the brain stem taste centres will cause rhythmical chewing movements.
Also, stimulation of areas in the hypothalamus, amygdala, and even the cerebral cortex near the sensory areas for taste and smell can often cause chewing.
• These muscles move the jaws to bring the teeth into intermittent contact, repeatedly occluding and opening.
• As mastication continues, the food is made softer and warmer, and the process of salivation begins.
what is the chewing reflex?
what happens when the bolus of food enters the posterior mouth and pharynx?
what are the pharyngeal muscle contractions that take place?
1) The soft palate is pulled upward to close the posterior nares, to prevent the reflux of food into the nasal cavities (nasopharynx).
2) The palatopharyngeal folds on each side of the pharynx are pulled medially to approximate each other. In this way, the folds form a sagittal slit through which the food must pass into the posterior pharynx. This slit performs a selective action, allowing food that has been masticated sufficiently to pass with ease.
Because this stage lasts less than 1 second, any large object is usually impeded too much to pass into the oesophagus.
3) The vocal cords of the larynx are closed, and the larynx is pulled upward and anteriorly by the neck muscles. These actions, combined with the presence of ligaments that prevent upward movement of the epiglottis, cause the epiglottis to swing backward over the opening of the larynx.
All these effects acting together prevent passage of food into the nose and trachea. Most essential is the tight approximation of the vocal cords, but the epiglottis helps to prevent food from ever getting as far as the vocal cords.
4) The upward movement of the larynx also pulls up and enlarges the opening to the oesophagus. At the same time, the upper 3-4cm of the oesophageal muscular wall, called the upper oesophageal sphincter (also called the pharyngoesophageal sphincter) relaxes, thus allowing food to move easily and freely from the posterior pharynx into the upper oesophagus. Between swallows, this sphincter remains strongly contracted, thereby preventing air from going into the oesophagus during respiration.
The upward movement of the larynx also lifts the glottis out of the main stream of food flow, so that the food mainly passes on each side of the epiglottis rather than over its surface; this adds still another protection against entry of food into the trachea.
5) Once the larynx is raised and the pharyngoesophageal sphincter becomes relaxed, the entire muscular wall of the pharynx contracts, beginning in the superior part of the pharynx, then spreading downward over the middle and inferior pharyngeal areas, which propels the food by peristalsis into the oesophagus.
in summary what happens in the pharyngeal stage? how long does the process last?
Trachea is closed.
Oesophagus is opened.
Fast peristaltic wave initiated by the nervous system of the pharynx forces the bolus of food into the upper oesophagus.
The entire process is less than 2 seconds.
what does the upper oesophageal sphincter consist of?
the cricopharyngeus muscle, the adjacent pharyngeal constrictor and the proximal portion of the cervical oesophagus
what is the innervation of the UES?
UES innervation is the vagus nerve, whereas the innervation to the musculature acting on the UES to facilitate its opening during swallowing comes from the fifth, seventh, and twelfth cranial nerves.
what is the UES like at rest? what causes this?
The UES remains closed at rest owing to both its inherent elastic properties and neurogenically mediated contraction of the cricopharyngeus muscle.