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Gastrointestinal Motility Disorders

Gastrointestinal Motility Disorders

Gastrointestinal or GI motility disorders are characterized by irregular gastrointestinal tract movements, disrupting food transit from the mouth to the anus. They are caused by damage or dysfunction in gut muscles or nerves. These disorders can cause symptoms such as severe constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and swallowing difficulties. Disorders can affect any segment of the GI tract and range widely in severity, from common conditions like GERD to life-threatening conditions like...

Drugs Affecting GI Tract Motility: Serotonin Receptor Agonists

Drugs Affecting GI Tract Motility: Serotonin Receptor Agonists

Serotonin, a crucial neurotransmitter synthesized by enterochromaffin cells, plays a cardinal role in regulating gastrointestinal (GI) motility. With over 90% of the body's total serotonin in the GI tract, its influence on digestive processes is profound. Serotonin is swiftly released upon various stimuli, such as food boluses or certain drugs, triggering intrinsic sensory neurons in the myenteric plexus and extrinsic vagal and spinal sensory neurons. This leads to the activation of the...

Drugs Affecting GI Tract Motility: Dopamine Receptor Antagonists

Drugs Affecting GI Tract Motility: Dopamine Receptor Antagonists

Prokinetic agents are specialized medications that stimulate gastrointestinal (GI) motility, promoting food movement through the GI tract. Dopamine, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, plays a significant role in this process, reducing GI motility and indirectly controlling the speed of digestion. Dopamine receptor antagonists, such as metoclopramide and domperidone, offer a unique advantage as prokinetic agents. By blocking the dopamine receptors, these drugs increase GI motility, improving food...

Drugs Affecting GI Tract Motility: Adsorbents as Antidiarrheal Agents

Drugs Affecting GI Tract Motility: Adsorbents as Antidiarrheal Agents

Diarrhea is characterized by the occurrence of frequent, watery bowel movements. Various factors can trigger diarrhea, including viral or bacterial infections, foodborne illnesses, side effects from certain medications, and underlying digestive disorders. If not adequately managed, diarrhea can lead to complications such as dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, and nutrient deficiencies. Severe diarrhea can lead to significant weight loss, malnutrition, and weakened immune function.
Adsorbents...

Drugs Affecting GI Tract Motility: Other Laxatives

Drugs Affecting GI Tract Motility: Other Laxatives

Laxatives are primarily used to alleviate constipation, a common gastrointestinal disorder characterized by infrequent bowel movements and difficulty passing stools. They work by various mechanisms to increase the volume or frequency of bowel movements. The primary modes of action of laxatives include increasing stool bulk, softening the stool, stimulating intestinal motility, and osmotically drawing water into the intestines.
Osmotic or saline laxatives, like magnesium hydroxide or milk of...

Drugs Affecting GI Tract Motility: Bulk-Forming and Stimulant Laxatives

Drugs Affecting GI Tract Motility: Bulk-Forming and Stimulant Laxatives

Laxatives enhance bowel movements and alleviate constipation. They augment the stool's bulk, stimulate intestinal muscle contractions, draw water into the intestines, or soften the stool. There are five key types of laxatives: bulk laxatives, stimulant laxatives, osmotic laxatives, stool softeners, and lubricant laxatives.
Bulk-forming laxatives, such as psyllium, methylcellulose, and polycarbophil, absorb water in the intestine, increasing stool bulk and promoting bowel movement. This...

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Autonomous and Rechargeable Microneurostimulator Endoscopically Implantable into the Submucosa

Autonomous and Rechargeable Microneurostimulator Endoscopically Implantable into the Submucosa

Published on: September 27, 2018

Electroceuticals for Neurogastroenterology and Motility Disorders.

Yan Jiang¹, Edy Soffer²

¹Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Southern California, 1520 San Pablo Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA.

Current Gastroenterology Reports

|March 3, 2023

Summary

Electrostimulation shows variable efficacy for gastrointestinal motility disorders and obesity. While gastric electrical stimulation and vagal nerve stimulation offer some benefits, sacral nerve stimulation is less effective for constipation, and electroceuticals for obesity yield mixed results.

Keywords:

Electrostimulation Gastroparesis Sacral nerve stimulation Vagal nerve stimulation

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Gastrointestinal Motility Monitor GIMM

Gastrointestinal Motility Monitor GIMM

Published on: December 1, 2010

Area of Science:

Gastroenterology
Medical Devices
Neuromodulation

Background:

Gastrointestinal motility disorders and obesity represent significant health challenges.
Electrostimulation therapies are emerging as potential treatment modalities.

Purpose of the Study:

To review current applications of electrostimulation in gastrointestinal motility disorders and obesity.
To focus on gastric electrical stimulation, vagal nerve stimulation, and sacral nerve stimulation.

Main Methods:

Review of recent studies on electroceutical interventions.
Analysis of clinical trial outcomes and technological advancements.

Main Results:

Gastric electrical stimulation reduced vomiting frequency but not quality of life.
Percutaneous vagal nerve stimulation shows promise for gastroparesis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Sacral nerve stimulation demonstrated limited efficacy for constipation; obesity electroceutical studies yielded varied results.

Conclusions:

Electrostimulation efficacy varies by gastrointestinal pathology.
Further research into mechanisms, technology, and controlled trials is needed.
Electrostimulation remains a promising area for treating various GI disorders.