The Enteric Nervous System (eBook)

John Furness is an expert on the enteric nervous system and its functions and has published over 300 relevant papers. In addition to his academic roles, he is a consultant in the GI drug development programs of GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis and Pfizer and has contracts with GSK and Pfizer for target identification and lead compound testing. Relevant honours include: Distinguished Achievement Award, Australian Neuroscience Society, 2003 Davenport Medal, American Physiological Society, 1997 Grossman Lecturer, Cambridge, 1995 (The field of the Grossman Foundation is gastroenterology) Australian Physiological and Pharmacological Society Lecture and Medal, 1995 Distinguished Research Prize, Gastroenterological Society of Australia, 1994 Janssen Research Award, 1993 (The field of the award is gastroenterology) Fellow, Australian Academy of Science, Elected 1989

Chapter 1: Structure of the enteric nervous system.

The enteric plexuses.

Interconnections between the plexuses.

Extent of the ganglionated plexuses.

Intramural extensions of extrinsic nerves.

Electron microscope studies.

Enteric glia.

The structural similarities and functional differences betweenregions may have an evolutionary basis.

Development of the enteric nervous system.

Maturation of enteric neurons and development of function.

Changes in enteric neurons with aging.

Summary and conclusions.

Chapter 2: Constituent neurons of the enteric nervoussystem.

Shapes of enteric neurons.

Cell physiological classifications of enteric neurons.

Functionally defined enteric neurons.

Neurons in human intestine with equivalence to thoseinvestigated in laboratory animals.

Summary and conclusions.

Chapter 3: Reflex circuitry of the enteric nervoussystem.

Evolution of ideas about enteric circuitry.

Motility controlling circuits of the small and largeintestine.

Intrinsic secretomotor and vasomotor circuits.

Assemblies of neurons.

Circuits in the esophagus and stomach.

Co-ordination of motility, secretomotor and vasomotorreflexes.

Circuits connecting the intestine, biliary system andpancreas.

Sympathetic innervation of the gastrointestinal tract.

Summary and conclusions.

Chapter 4: Pharmacology of transmission and sites of drugaction in the enteric nervous system.

Chemical coding and multiple transmitters.

Transmitters of motor neurons that innervate the smooth muscleof the gut.

Transmitters at neuro-neuronal synapses.

Sites within the reflex circuitry where specific pharmacologiesof transmission can be deduced to occur.

Transmission from entero-endocrine cells to IPANs.

Roles of interstitial cells of Cajal in neuromusculartransmission.

Transmitters of secretomotor and vasodilator neurons.

Synapses in secretomotor and vasodilator pathways.

Transmitters of motor neurons innervating gastrin cells.

Summary and conclusions.

Chapter 5: Neural control of motility.

Rhythmic activity of gastrointestinal muscle.

Structure and properties of interstitial cells of Cajal.

Relationship between slow wave activity and neural control.

Gastric motility.

Patterns of small intestine motility and their intrinsic neuralcontrol.

Motility of the colon.

Neural control of the esophagus.

Gall-bladder motility.

Sphincters.

Muscle of the mucosa.

Mechanism of sympathetic inhibition of motility in non-sphincterregions.

Sympathetic innervation of the sphincters.

Physiological effects of noradrenergic neurons on motility inundisturbed animals.

Reflex activities of sympathetic neurons that affectmotility.

Summary and conclusions.

Chapter 6: Enteric neurons and the physiological control offluid secretion and vasodilation.

Water and electrolyte secretion in the small and largeintestines.

Reflex control of water and electrolyte secretion.

Secretion of gastric acid.

Pepsinogen secretion.

Gastric secretion of bicarbonate.

Secretion into the gall bladder.

Pancreatic exocrine secretion.

Summary and conclusions.

Chapter 7: Disorders of motility and secretion andtherapeutic targets in the enteric nervous system.

Therapeutic endpoints for motility disorders.

Therapies for secretory diarrheas.

Enteric neuropathies involving neuronal loss or phenotypicchanges.

Mitochondriopathies with intestinal manifestations.

Irritable bowel syndrome and plasticity of enteric neurons.

Summary and conclusions.

Epilogue: the future of enteric neurobiology.

References.

Index.

"As someone who has contributed extensively to our current
understanding, John Furness provides an insightful and personal
account that integrates a vast array of literature into a nicely
illustrated and very readable book that will be of interest to
anyone working in the field."

Professor David Grundy, European Journal of Gastroenterology
& Hepatology

"Each chapter is very well written, focused on the specific
topic and easily understandable. Also, the text has been widely
integrated by more than sixty high-quality schemes, illustrations
and drawings... Furthermore, the entire book has been well
supported by classic publications and updated literature making all
together more than 12000 references in all."

Dr Roberto De Giorgio, Digestive and Liver Diseases