title: The spontaneous discharge in abdominal vagal efferents in the dog and ferret.
abstract: This study demonstrates by collision that vagal efferent fibres project from the dorsal medulla to the intra-abdominal organs in the dog and ferret. The efferents had a low frequency (below 5 Hz) spontaneous discharge with the majority having a unimodal distribution of interspike intervals. This background level of activity is sufficient to account for the basal levels of secretion and motility observed during the interdigestive period.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004525:Efferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D005289:Ferrets; D005744:Gastric Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000502:physiology; D013270:Stomach / Q000294:innervation; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000502:physiology*