I saw this posted on the dysphagia list serve from Renee Campbell and thought I would repost:
For information about the relationship between the CNS and the digestive system an excellent review is available at:
The Enteric Nervous System
http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Enteric_nervous_system#Organisation_and_relationships
John B. Furness (2007), Scholarpedia, 2(10):4064. University of Melbourne,
Australia
“The enteric nervous system (ENS) is the intrinsic nervous system of the gastrointestinal tract. It contains complete reflex circuits that detect the physiological condition of the gastrointestinal tract, integrate information about the state of the gastrointestinal tract, and provide outputs to control gut movement, fluid exchange between the gut and its
lumen, and local blood flow (Gershon 2005; Furness 2006). It is the only part of the peripheral nervous system that contains extensive neural circuits that are capable of local, autonomous function. *The ENS has extensive, two-way, connections with the central nervous system (CNS), and works in concert with the CNS to control the digestive system in the context of local and whole body physiological demands. Because of its extent and its degree of autonomy, the ENS has been referred to as a second
brain*.
*Control of Motility*
The intensity of gastric contraction is determined by the actions of the
vagus nerves, which form connections with enteric neurons in the myenteric
ganglia. The proximal stomach relaxes to accommodate the arrival of food.
This relaxation is also mediated through vagus nerve connections with
enteric neurons. *Thus, the primary integrative centres for control of
gastric motility are in the brainstem.”*
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