Functional circuits and signal processing in the enteric nervous system

The enteric nervous system (ENS) is an extensive network comprising millions of neurons and glial cells contained within the wall of the gastrointestinal tract. The major functions of the ENS that have been most studied include the regulation of local gut motility, secretion, and blood flow. Other a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS 2020-11, Vol.77 (22), p.4505-4522
Main Authors: Fung, Candice, Vanden Berghe, Pieter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biochemistry
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Blood flow
Brain - immunology
Brain - physiology
Cell Biology
Circuits
Digestive system
Enteric nervous system
Enteric Nervous System - immunology
Enteric Nervous System - physiology
Functional morphology
Gastric motility
Gastrointestinal Microbiome - immunology
Gastrointestinal system
Gastrointestinal tract
Gastrointestinal Tract - immunology
Gastrointestinal Tract - microbiology
Gastrointestinal Tract - physiology
Glial cells
Homeostasis
Humans
Immune system
Immune System - immunology
Immune System - physiology
Intestinal microflora
Intestine
Life Sciences
Microbiota
Nervous system
Neurodegenerative diseases
Neurodevelopmental disorders
Neuroglia - immunology
Neuroglia - physiology
Neuronal-glial interactions
Neurons - immunology
Neurons - physiology
Physiological effects
Review
Signal processing
Signal Transduction - immunology
Signal Transduction - physiology
Wiring
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Description
Summary:The enteric nervous system (ENS) is an extensive network comprising millions of neurons and glial cells contained within the wall of the gastrointestinal tract. The major functions of the ENS that have been most studied include the regulation of local gut motility, secretion, and blood flow. Other areas that have been gaining increased attention include its interaction with the immune system, with the gut microbiota and its involvement in the gut–brain axis, and neuro-epithelial interactions. Thus, the enteric circuitry plays a central role in intestinal homeostasis, and this becomes particularly evident when there are faults in its wiring such as in neurodevelopmental or neurodegenerative disorders. In this review, we first focus on the current knowledge on the cellular composition of enteric circuits. We then further discuss how enteric circuits detect and process external information, how these signals may be modulated by physiological and pathophysiological factors, and finally, how outputs are generated for integrated gut function.
ISSN:1420-682X
1420-9071
DOI:10.1007/s00018-020-03543-6