Electrical potential changes and contractile activity of the distal cecum of turkeys

Bipolar electrodes and strain gauge transducers were implanted on the distal cecum, ileum, and colon of turkeys in order to describe 1) cecal motility, 2) relationships between cecal, ileal, and colonic motilities, 3) events occurring in these organs during cecal evacuation, and 4) cecal electric slow waves. Two types of contractions were recorded in the cecum: those with low amplitude occurring at 2.6/min (minor) and those with higher amplitude occurring at 1.2/min (major). About one-half of the time the former occurred in coordination with contractions in the colon and ileum at the same frequency but slightly out of phase. Major contractions appeared to be propagated, and aborad propagation was twice as common as orad. Accumulation of ingesta in the cecal tip was apparently prevented by contractions arising in the distal cecum and moving orad having a much greater amplitude than those moving aborad. As many as six or seven major contractions occurred during the last 2 min prior to cecal evacuation; one or two similar high amplitude contractions occurred in the ileum and colon at this time. Electric slow waves were rarely recorded in the ceca.