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Updated: Jun 8, 2026

In Vitro Recording of Mesenteric Afferent Nerve Activity in Mouse Jejunal and Colonic Segments
Published on: October 25, 2016
The aging colon: the role of enteric neurodegeneration in constipation
Brandt Wiskur1, Beverley Greenwood-Van Meerveld
1VA Medical Center, Oklahoma Center for Neuroscience, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Abstract:
Constipation is a common problem in the elderly, and abnormalities in the neural innervation of the colon play a significant role in abnormalities in colonic motility leading to delayed colonic transit. The scope of this review encompasses the latest advances to enhance our understanding of the aging colon with emphasis on enteric neurodegeneration, considered a likely cause for the development of constipation in the aging gut in animal models. Neural innervation of the colon and the effects of aging on intrinsic and extrinsic nerves innervating the colonic smooth muscle is discussed. Evidence supporting the concept that neurologic disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, not only affect the brain but also cause neurodegeneration within the enteric nervous system leading to colonic dysmotility is presented. Further research is needed to investigate the influence of aging on the gastrointestinal tract and to develop novel approaches to therapy directed at protecting the enteric nervous system from neurodegeneration.
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