The influence of autonomous nervous activity on total and regional gastric blood flow

Using 8 mu radioactive microspheres total and regional gastric blood flow were measured in dogs under electrical splanchnic stimulation (SS), following splanchnicectomy (SE), under electrical stimulation of the vagal truncs (VS) and following truncal vagotomy (VE). The values were compared to controls and were taken while cardiac output (CO) and mean aortic pressure ( AOBP ) were registered. Total GBF was 16 +/- 4 ml/100g/min. in 8 animals. Regional flows were highest in the mucosa of corpus and fundus (35 +/- 7 and 27 +/- 6 ml/100g/min.) and lowest in the seromuscularis (4 +/- 1 ml/100g/min.) SS decreased total GBF to 7 +/- 2 ml/100g/min. and this was due to a most dramatic fall in corpus and fundus mucosal flow by 75%. In contrast SE increased total GBF to 30 +/- 11 and regional corpus mucosal flow achieved 85 +/- 24 ml/100g/min. Blood flow changes under VS were similar to those following SE but were less elevated. In the same manner flow reduction following VE was similar to the changes seen after SS but in average less profound. CO and AOBP increased during SS (less than 30% of control) but were almost the same for SE, VS and VE.