Role of the “little brain” in the gut in water and electrolyte homeostasis 1

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Abstract
The enteric nervous system plays a key role in maintenance of body fluid homeostasis by regulating the transport of ions by the intestinal epithelium. The epithelial cells normally absorb large volumes of fluid and ions daily, but tonically active submucosal neurons continuously suppress ion transport and limit the absorptive capacity of the intestine. Specialized nerve endings detect chemical, osmotic, or thermal alterations of the luminal contents or mechanical activity of the gut wall and encode this information as action potentials that propagate along nerve processes to the ganglia. Information transfer within the ganglia occurs at nicotinic cholinergic or other synapses. Ion transport is altered when neurotransmitters released from motor neurons interact with receptors on epithelial cells to initiate stimulus-response coupling. The signals that transduce changes in epithelial ion transport are largely unknown, except for acetylcholine, but may include vasoactive intestinal peptide or other peptides....
Funding Information
  • Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

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