Author:

Keywords:

Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Enteric circuitry, Neurons, Glia, Microbiota, Neuroimmune, Epithelium, PRIMARY AFFERENT NEURONS, MIGRATING MOTOR COMPLEX, NITRIC-OXIDE SYNTHASE, GUINEA-PIG INTESTINE, CHAIN FATTY-ACIDS, SUBMUCOUS NEURONS, MYENTERIC PLEXUS, SMOOTH-MUSCLE, ENTEROENDOCRINE CELLS, GLIAL-CELLS, Animals, Brain, Enteric Nervous System, Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Gastrointestinal Tract, Humans, Immune System, Neuroglia, Signal Transduction, 0601 Biochemistry and Cell Biology, 0606 Physiology, 1103 Clinical Sciences, 3101 Biochemistry and cell biology, 3205 Medical biochemistry and metabolomics, 3211 Oncology and carcinogenesis

Abstract:

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.