The Basic Electrical Rhythm of the Duodenum in Normal Human Subjects and in Patients with Thyroid Disease *

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Abstract
An intraluminal salt-bridge electrode was constructed to record the spontaneous electrical activity of the duodenum in ambulatory human subjects. The 2 characteristic components of this activity were identified: a constant sinusoidal wave, the duodenal slow wave or basic electrical rhythm, and irregular bursts of fast spikes associated with segmental duodenal contractions. The mean frequency of the duodenal basic electrical rhythm in 37 healthy subjects was 11.73 cycles per minute (SD [plus or minus] 0.45, SE [plus or minus] 0.074). The frequency of the rhythm in 24 patients evaluated for thyroid disease varied widely and showed a close positive correlation with the state of functional thyroid activity as determined by standard clinical index of thyroid function. These findings establish that the availability of energy from cellular metabolic processes is a major factor governing the frequency of the duodenal basic electrical rhythm.

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