Gastrointestinal motility process

For chronic abdominal pain, low doses of tricyclic antidepressants (eg, amitriptyline or desipramine, 10-50 mg/d) appear to be helpful (see Chapter 30). At these doses, these agents have no effect on mood but may alter central processing of visceral afferent information. The anticholinergic properties of these agents also may have effects on gastrointestinal motility and secretion, reducing stool frequency and liquidity. Finally, tricyclic antidepressants may alter receptors for enteric neurotransmitters such as serotonin, affecting visceral afferent sensation. 

Figure 6.4 Types of intestinal motility patterns. Segmentation, tonic contraction, and peristalsis are the three major types of motility patterns observed in the gut. Each serves a specific function for digestion and processing of luminal contents. From E.B. Chang, M.D.Sitrin and D.D.Black (1996) Gastrointestinal motility and neurophysiology. Gastrointestinal, Hepatobiliary, and Nutritional Physiology, Lippincott-Raven, Philadelphia, pp. 27-51...

Gastrointestinal motility is an essential function of the digestive and absorptive processes of the gut. It propels intestinal contents, mixes them with digestive juices, and prepares unabsorbed particles for excretion. Gastric motility has been shown to be inhibited by D-glucose in the intestinal fluid. 

Evidence that each excipient present in the multisource product is well established and does not affect gastrointestinal motility or other processes affecting absorption, can be documented using the following information ... 

For almost one century, acetylcholine has been recognized as a neurotransmitter both in the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. In the peripheral nervous system, acetylcholine has been identified as the neurotransmitter of autonomic ganglia and the neuromuscular junction. Acetylcholine is involved in different peripheral functions such as heart rate, blood flow, gastrointestinal tract motility, and sweat production and smooth muscle activity. In the CNS, cholinergic neurotransmission plays a crucial role in a variety of CNS functions including sensory perception, motor function, cognitive processing, memory, arousal, attention, sleep, nociception, motivation, reward, mood, and psychosis. 

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