The Nerve Control of the Distal Colon

M'Fadden, G. D. F.; Loughridge, James S.; Milroy, T. H.

doi:10.1113/expphysiol.1935.sp000690

Cited by 16 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…His experiments show that there is no tonic sympathetic inhibition of gastric movement or tonic closure of the pyloric sphincter in rested cats. Other experiments on stomach and colon confirm Cannon’s observations 1,18,19 . Whether this lack of tonic activity applies to the small intestine does not appear to have been resolved.…”

Section: Control Of Motility By Sympathetic Neuronsmentioning

confidence: 67%

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The participation of the sympathetic innervation of the gastrointestinal tract in disease states

Lomax

Sharkey

Furness

2009

Neurogastroenterology Motil

150

132

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Knowledge of neural circuits, neurotransmitters and receptors involved in the sympathetic regulation of gastrointestinal (GI) function is well established. However, it is only recently that the interaction of sympathetic neurons, and of sympathetic transmitters, with the GI immune system and with gut flora has begun to be explored. Changes in the behaviour of sympathetic nerves when gut function is compromised, for example in ileus and in inflammation, have been observed, but the roles of the sympathetic innervation in these and other pathologies are not adequately understood. In this article, we first review the principal roles of the sympathetic innervation of the GI tract in controlling motility, fluid exchange and gut blood flow in healthy individuals. We then discuss the evidence that there are important interactions of sympathetic transmitters with the gut immune system and enteric glia, and evidence that inflammation has substantial effects on sympathetic neurons. These reciprocal interactions contribute to pathological changes in ways that are not yet clarified. Finally, we focus on inflammation, diabetes and postoperative ileus as conditions in which there is sympathetic involvement in compromised gut function.

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Section: Control Of Motility By Sympathetic Neuronsmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…Other experiments on stomach and colon confirm CannonÕs observations. 1,18,19 Whether this lack of tonic activity applies to the small intestine does not appear to have been resolved.…”

Section: Physiological Effects Of Sympathetic Neurons On Motility In mentioning

confidence: 99%

The participation of the sympathetic innervation of the gastrointestinal tract in disease states

Lomax

Sharkey

Furness

2009

Neurogastroenterology Motil

150

132

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“… Langley and Anderson (1895) showed in cats and dogs that stimulation of sympathetic pathways via lumbar ventral nerve roots caused inhibition of distal colon and contraction of the internal anal sphincter, whereas parasympathetic pathways stimulated at sacral roots caused contractile activity of both colon and rectum. In cats, imaging studies showed that chronic lesions to sympathetic pathways caused a small increase in colonic contractility whereas lesioning sacral parasympathetic pathways disrupted defecatory activity and led to distal obstruction ( M’Fadden et al, 1935 ). Acutely, lesioning sympathetic pathways in cats had little effect on motility but severing sacral nerves led to reduced activity and constipation ( Garry, 1933a ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, since this interpretation has been disputed because both thoracolumbar sympathetic and sacral pathways share a spinal origin (Neuhuber et al, 2017;Horn, 2018), we will continue to use the original term of "parasympathetic" to describe the sacral outflow to the gut. While the descriptions "sympathetic" and "parasympathetic" are primarily anatomical descriptions the pathways appear to perform different functions, with sympathetic drive inhibiting colonic motility, whereas parasympathetic pathways are largely excitatory (Langley and Anderson, 1895) and play an important role in defaecation (M'Fadden et al, 1935;Knowles et al, 2001;Heitmann et al, 2021). Stach (1971) described branches of the pelvic plexus in dogs and cats which run subserosally before entering the wall of the colon near the rectosigmoid junction using silver staining, methylene blue, cholinesterase histochemistry, and osmium/zinc iodide.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterisation of parasympathetic ascending nerves in human colon

et al. 2022

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BackgroundIn the human large bowel, sacral parasympathetic nerves arise from S2 to S4, project to the pelvic plexus (“hypogastric plexus”) and have post-ganglionic axons entering the large bowel near the rectosigmoid junction. They then run long distances orally or aborally within the bowel wall forming “ascending nerves” or “shunt fascicles” running in the plane of the myenteric plexus. They form bundles of nerve fibres that can be distinguished from the myenteric plexus by their straight orientation, tendency not to merge with myenteric ganglia and greater width.AimTo identify reliable marker(s) to distinguish these bundles of ascending nerves from other extrinsic and intrinsic nerves in human colon.MethodsHuman colonic segments were obtained with informed consent, from adult patients undergoing elective surgery (n = 21). Multi-layer immunohistochemical labelling with neurofilament-H (NF200), myelin basic protein (MBP), von Willebrand factor (vWF), and glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), and rapid anterograde tracing with biotinamide, were used to compare ascending nerves and lumbar colonic nerves.ResultsThe rectosigmoid and rectal specimens had 6–11 ascending nerves spaced around their circumference. Distal colon specimens typically had 1–3 ascending nerves, with one located near the mesenteric taenia coli. No ascending nerves were observed in ascending colon specimens. GLUT1 antisera labelled both sympathetic lumbar colonic nerves and ascending nerves in the gut wall. Lumbar colonic nerves joined the myenteric plexus and quickly lost GLUT1 labelling, whereas GLUT1 staining labelled parasympathetic ascending nerves over many centimetres.ConclusionAscending nerves can be distinguished in the colorectum of humans using GLUT1 labelling combined with NF200.

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“…This finding implies that the dilatation was not caused by a sustained rise of intraluminal pressure. The dilatation could instead be explained by interference of the parasympathetic nervous supply, since there are strong evidences in dogs and cats that the sacral parasympathetic fibres enter the colonic wall in the pelvic part and run intramurally in proximal direction (3,19,32). Loss of parasympathetic stimulation leads to decreased muscular tone in the colon, thus creating conditions favoring dilatation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cardiac Output Distribution after Left Colon Anastomosis in the Rat

Jiborn¹,

Ahonen²,

Lindell³

et al. 1979

Eur Surg Res

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Resection and anastomosis of the left colon result in an asymmetric breakdown of preexisting collagen in the colonic wall during the first days of healing. Suture technique influences this reaction. To study the regional blood flow in the colon after resection and anastomosis a tracer microsphere technique was used for determination of the cardiac output distribution in four groups of rats: unoperated and sham-operated controls and rats with left colon anastomosis sutured either by continuous or interrupted sutures. There were no differences in the organ distribution of cardiac output between unoperated and sham-operated controls. Left colon resection and anastomosis led to an increased regional blood flow in the colon, which was most marked proximal to the anastomosis and furthermore more pronounced in animals with anastomosis made of continuous suture than in those made of interrupted sutures. Further, resection and anastomosis resulted in an increased cardiac output distribution to the visceral organs. The visceral increase was most pronounced in animals with continuous suture. This increase was predominantly observed in the kidneys and in the colon. The latter is interpreted as being due to an increased metabolic demand induced by resection and anastomosis.

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The Nerve Control of the Distal Colon

Cited by 16 publications

References 3 publications

The participation of the sympathetic innervation of the gastrointestinal tract in disease states

The participation of the sympathetic innervation of the gastrointestinal tract in disease states

Characterisation of parasympathetic ascending nerves in human colon

Cardiac Output Distribution after Left Colon Anastomosis in the Rat

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