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Updated: Jul 31, 2026

Cancer Borealis Stomatogastric Nervous System Dissection
Published on: March 23, 2009
[The central nervous system and stomach as target organ: the diencephalic-gastric axis]
1Medizinische Kernklinik und Poliklinik, Universitäts-Krankenhaus Eppendorf, Universität Hamburg.
Abstract:
Gastric functions are controlled by local and hormonal mediators as well as by viscero-afferent nerve fibers and by efferents from the central nervous system. Experiments using lesions of specific brain regions and electrical stimulation demonstrated that distinct brain areas like parts of the hypothalamus, the amygdala and the nucleus ambiguous regulate gastric functions. Apart from classic neurotransmitters, in recent years, neuropeptides have been initially identified in the gastrointestinal tract and subsequently in the brain that act within the central nervous system to modulate functions of various peripheral organ systems including the stomach. These central nervous system effects elicited by neuropeptides are predominantly mediated by the autonomic nervous system. This paper reports on the central nervous system regulation of gastric acid secretion, gastric mucus production, gastric blood flow and gastric emptying by neuropeptides.
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