Spinal cord influences on the colonic myoelectrical activity of fed and fasted rats

1. The myoelectrical activity of the large intestine of fed and fasted rats was recorded with chronically implanted nichrome wire electrodes after destruction of the spinal cord, after spinal cord transection, and after spinal anaesthesia. 2. After spinal cord ablation, the cyclical organization of the colonic electrical spiking activity, as well as the gastrocolic reflex and accompanying postprandial enhancement of the cyclical pattern of activity, persisted on the proximal and distal colon. On the transverse colon, however, the spiking activity was considerably increased. This latter effect obliterated the gastrocolic response due to feeding but not the subsequent postprandial enhancement of the cyclical pattern of activity. 3. After spinal cord transection, the level of spiking activity also increased on both the transverse and distal colon, but no major changes in cyclical activity or in postprandial responses were recorded. 4. Spinal anaesthesia produced by intrathecal lidocaine increased the motility of the transverse colon to a level which masked the gastrocolic reflex. 5. These results suggest a prevertebral ganglia and/or a local control mechanism for the cyclical organization of the spiking activity of the colon. The central control mechanisms involve mostly spinal inhibitory influences on the transverse colon and supraspinal inhibitory influences on the distal colon.