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Updated: Jul 12, 2026
Spatiotemporal Mapping of Motility in Ex Vivo Preparations of the Intestines
Published on: January 27, 2016
Spatiotemporal Remodeling of Enteric Neural Pathways Underlies Colonic Dysmotility Following Spinal Cord Injury in
Min Seob Kim1, Sei Kim1,2, Se Eun Ha2
1Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Wonkwang University, Digestive Disease Research Institute and Institute of Wonkwang Medical Science, Iksan, Jeonbuk-do, Korea.
Background/Aims:
: Spinal cord injury (SCI) frequently impairs defecation, severely affecting the quality of life. This study examines compensatory neural remodeling after SCI, focusing on basal colonic contractility, neural responses to electrical field stimulation, and alterations in excitatory cholinergic and inhibitory nitrergic pathways.
Methods:
: Female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent either sham surgery or T10 spinal cord transection and were categorized into 3 groups: sham, 1-week post-SCI (acute), and 4-week post-SCI (chronic). Colonic contractility was assessed in an organ bath using electrical field stimulation in the presence of a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor. Neural protein expression was analyzed by immunofluorescence and Western blotting.
Results:
: SCI produced region- and time-dependent impairments in colonic contractility, with distinct alterations in the proximal circular and longitudinal muscles across acute and chronic phases. Neural excitability shifted dynamically, showing enhanced excitatory activity in the proximal longitudinal muscle at 1-week and the distal circular muscle at 4-week post-SCI. Protein analysis revealed increased neuronal nitric oxide synthase in the proximal colon, decreased soluble guanylyl cyclase in the distal colon, upregulated muscarinic M3 receptor in the proximal colon, and reduced vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor 1 in both proximal and distal regions.
Conclusion:
: SCI induces spatiotemporal remodeling of excitatory and inhibitory neural pathways, contributing to colonic dysmotility and revealing potential targets for therapeutic intervention.
