Reflex suppression and initiation of gastric contractions by electrical stimulation of the hepatic vagus nerve.
In the rat, electrical stimulation of the cranial end of the cut hepatic branch of the vagus nerve modulated gastric contractions. When the gastric contraction rate reached approximately one per min, nerve stimulation caused total suppression. When the stomach was free of contraction, nerve stimulation initiated one. The amplitude of the stimulation-initiated contractions was frequency related. These contractions were vagal-muscarinic mediated since vagotomy of the gastric branches or i.v. atropine (100 micrograms/kg) eliminated them. The results suggested that the hepatic nerve relayed both excitatory and inhibitory sensory inputs to the central nervous system that modulated the vagal excitatory cholinergic efferent nerve activities.
D000818:Animals; D001285:Atropine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility; D008099:Liver / Q000294:innervation*; D008297:Male; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009433:Neural Inhibition; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D013270:Stomach / Q000294:innervation*; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000502:physiology*
D001285:Atropine