Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Gastrointestinal Motility Monitor (GIMM)
Published on: December 2, 2010
In man, only activity fronts that originate in the stomach correlate with motilin peaks
V Bormans1, T L Peeters, J Janssens
1Dept. of Medical Research, University of Leuven, Belgium.
Abstract:
We have tested the hypothesis that the imperfect correlation between the occurrence of plasma motilin peaks and the migrating motor complex (MMC) is related to the site of origin of the MMC. Gastric and small-intestinal motor activity was recorded manometrically in 16 normal subjects after an overnight fast. Blood samples were taken every 10 min and assayed for motilin. Fifty MMCs were recorded: 29 (58%) originated in the antrum and 21 (42%) in the small intestine. For gastric MMCs a motilin peak (45 +/- 5 pM) was found 10 min before the occurrence of the MMC in the duodenum. For intestinal MMCs no peak could be demonstrated. On an individual basis 27 of the 29 gastric activity fronts were associated with a motilin peak, versus 5 out of 21 intestinal MMCs. It is concluded that in man only gastric activity fronts are associated with plasma motilin peaks. Apparently, motilin is only involved in the regulation of the MMCs originating from the stomach.
Related Concept Videos
Hormonal Regulation
Drugs Affecting GI Tract Motility: Serotonin Receptor Agonists
Hormones Secreted by the Stomach
Each of these hormones secreted by different enteroendocrine cells plays a unique role in digestion. Here are a few examples:
Gastric Phase of Digestion
When food enters the stomach, it stretches the stomach walls and activates stretch receptors. This triggers local reflexes of the enteric nervous system, mediated through the myenteric plexus. These...
Intestinal Phase of Digestion
The arrival of the chyme in the small intestine distends the duodenum, which triggers the enterogastric reflex. This distension...
Gastric Motility
Peristaltic Waves and Chyme Formation
Upon food entry, the stomach initiates...

