title: Gastrogastric reflexes regulating gastric tone and their relationship to perception.
abstract: Our aim was to investigate in humans the gastrogastric reflexes that regulate gastric tone and their relationship to perception. In nine healthy subjects, liquid distension (in 100-ml steps), warm stimuli (in 3 degrees C increments), and cold stimuli (in 6 degrees C decrements) were randomly applied in the stomach for 3 min at 8-min intervals. Gastric tone was measured as isobaric volume changes of air by a barostat, and perception was scored by a graded (0-6) questionnaire. Liquid accommodation produced an additional expansion of isobaric air maintained by the barostat (51 +/- 13 ml with 100 ml of liquid filling, P < 0.05), but this effect became inconsistent with further filling. An accommodation-like reflex was best evidenced by warm stimulation below the discomfort threshold (58 +/- 13 ml relaxation at 47 +/- 1 degrees C, P < 0.05). By contrast, cooling below discomfort induced a reflex contraction (-62 +/- 22 ml change at 18 +/- 2 degrees C, P < 0.05). In conclusion, gastric tone, i.e., accommodation and contraction, is modulated by a net of reflexes that arise from the proper wall of the stomach below the discomfort threshold.
authors.affiliation: Digestive System Research Unit, Hospital General Vall d'Hebron, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Villanova
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Azpiroz
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Malagelada
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003080:Cold Temperature; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009126:Muscle Relaxation; D009129:Muscle Tonus / Q000502:physiology*; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000502:physiology; D010465:Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D011312:Pressure; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D013270:Stomach / Q000502:physiology*; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D014867:Water