Reflex Adrenergic Inhibition of Gastric Motility Elicited from the Gastric Antrum

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Abstract
The reflex effects of distension and contraction of the gastric antrum on corpus‐fundus motility were studied in anesthetized cats. Besides a vagally mediated reflex corpus‐fundus relaxation, antral distension elicited a prompt reflex inhibition of corpus‐fundus contractions that was present also after vagotomy. In vagotomized animals this inhibitory reflex persisted also after cervical spinal cord transection, but was abolished by spinal anrsthesia or by guanethidine. Stepwise increases of antral distension revealed that the reflex corpus‐fundus inhibition appeared already at distending pressures of 5–10 cm H2O, then increased in a graded fashion and could be maintained for at least 10 min if a steady distension was applied. Also “isometric” antral contractions were effective in eliciting the reflex corpus‐fundus inhibition. — It is concluded that activation of slowly adapting “tension receptors” in the antral gastric wall inhibits gastric (corpus‐fundus) motilityviaa spinal reflex mechanism, mediated by splanchnic adrenergic fibres that seem to suppress the intramural excitatory cholinergic neurons. This gastro‐gastric adrenergic inhibitory reflex seems to be activated concomitantly with a vago‐vagal gastro‐gastric relaxatory reflex. It is suggested that these two suppressive reflex mechanisms play an important role in regulation of gastric motor functions.
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