Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 1, 2025
Immunostaining to Visualize Murine Enteric Nervous System Development
Published on: April 29, 2015
Enteric Nervous System Striped Patterning and Disease: Unexplored Pathophysiology
Lori B Dershowitz1, Julia A Kaltschmidt1
1Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California.
Insights
Defects in the enteric nervous system (ENS) cause pediatric GI motility disorders. New research suggests ENS neurons form stripes, and altered stripe distribution may explain neuronal density changes in conditions like Hirschsprung
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- The enteric nervous system (ENS) is crucial for gastrointestinal (GI) motility.
- Developmental defects in the ENS lead to pediatric GI motility disorders, including Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR), pediatric intestinal pseudo-obstruction (PIPO), and intestinal neuronal dysplasia type B (INDB).
- Observed structural alterations in these disorders include decreased (HSCR) or increased (PIPO, INDB) enteric neuron density, but their developmental origins are unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current understanding of ENS development and pediatric GI motility disorders.
- To incorporate novel findings on ENS structure, specifically the emerging evidence of enteric neuron patterning into circumferential stripes.
- To propose how defects in this striped ENS patterning could explain observed structural deficits in pediatric GI motility disorders.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on ENS development and pediatric GI motility disorders.
- Integration of new data demonstrating circumferential stripe patterning of enteric neurons during human and mouse development.
- Exploration of mechanisms of striped patterning in other biological systems.
Main Results:
- Emerging evidence indicates enteric neurons are organized into circumferential stripes along the developing intestine.
- This novel structural organization raises new questions about the pathophysiology of ENS-related motility disorders.
- Altered neuronal density in HSCR, PIPO, and INDB may reflect variations in the distribution or integrity of these enteric neuronal stripes.
Conclusions:
- The discovery of striped ENS organization offers a new framework for understanding ENS development.
- Defects in ENS striped patterning are proposed as a potential explanation for structural deficits in pediatric GI motility disorders.
- Further research into ENS stripe formation and its disruption is warranted to elucidate the pathophysiology of these conditions.
Abstract:
The enteric nervous system (ENS) controls gastrointestinal (GI) motility, and defects in ENS development underlie pediatric GI motility disorders. In disorders such as Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR), pediatric intestinal pseudo-obstruction (PIPO), and intestinal neuronal dysplasia type B (INDB), ENS structure is altered with noted decreased neuronal density in HSCR and reports of increased neuronal density in PIPO and INDB. The developmental origin of these structural deficits is not fully understood. Here, we review the current understanding of ENS development and pediatric GI motility disorders incorporating new data on ENS structure. In particular, emerging evidence demonstrates that enteric neurons are patterned into circumferential stripes along the longitudinal axis of the intestine during mouse and human development. This novel understanding of ENS structure proposes new questions about the pathophysiology of pediatric GI motility disorders. If the ENS is organized into stripes, could the observed changes in enteric neuron density in HSCR, PIPO, and INDB represent differences in the distribution of enteric neuronal stripes? We review mechanisms of striped patterning from other biological systems and propose how defects in striped ENS patterning could explain structural deficits observed in pediatric GI motility disorders.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Nerve Supply of the GI Tract
The enteric nervous system consists of two major plexuses: the myenteric plexus (Auerbach's plexus) and the submucosal plexus (Meissner's plexus). These plexuses are located within the layers of...
01:05Physiology of Enteric Nervous System and Gut Health
01:11Enteric Nervous System: Regulation of GI Motor Activity
During periods of fasting, the ENS initiates the migrating myoelectric complex, a...
01:28Disorders of the Nervous Tissue
Homeostatic Imbalances:
Alzheimer's disease manifests as a gradual decline in memory and cognitive abilities, attributed to the buildup of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain.
Parkinson's disease arises from the...
01:17Irritable Bowel Syndrome I: Introduction
IBS is a chronic condition that can persist over a long period or recur frequently.
The pathogenesis of IBS involves a complex interplay of the following factors:
Altered...
01:17Chronic Bowel Disorders: Introduction
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder affecting the gastrointestinal tract. The distinctive feature is recurrent abdominal pain associated with altered bowel movements, manifesting as constipation, diarrhea, or fluctuating between both. The...