AJP - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, Vol 240, Issue 2 141-G146, Copyright © 1981 by American Physiological Society
Mechanism of propagation of canine migrating motor complex--a reappraisal
H. S. Ormsbee 3rd, G. L. Telford, C. M. Suter, P. D. Wilson and G. R. Mason
This study quantitatively evaluated the characteristics of the aboral
propagation of the canine migrating motor complex (MMC). Five conscious
dogs were implanted with extraluminal force transducers along the small
intestine. After constructing a 30-cm Thirty-Vella loop of jejunum, 56 of
91 activity fronts were outside the tolerance limits for propagation from
the proximal intestine to the loop established in the same dogs before
operation. Similarly, 44 of 109 activity fronts were outside the tolerance
limits for propagation from the loop to the distal intestine. After
surgery, the propagation time from the proximal jejunum to the loop was
significantly increased, and activity fronts were observed to originate in
the loop and in the intestine distal to the anastomosis. Our study
indicates that the hypothesis that extrinsic nerves alone control the
migration of the MMC is incomplete. We suggest that the extrinsic and the
intrinsic innervation of the gastrointestinal tract are both required for
the precise pattern of the migration of the MMC.
