Go to JCI Insight
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • By specialty
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Immunology
    • Metabolism
    • Nephrology
    • Neuroscience
    • Oncology
    • Pulmonology
    • Vascular biology
    • All ...
  • Videos
    • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
    • Video Abstracts
  • Reviews
    • View all reviews ...
    • Complement Biology and Therapeutics (May 2025)
    • Evolving insights into MASLD and MASH pathogenesis and treatment (Apr 2025)
    • Microbiome in Health and Disease (Feb 2025)
    • Substance Use Disorders (Oct 2024)
    • Clonal Hematopoiesis (Oct 2024)
    • Sex Differences in Medicine (Sep 2024)
    • Vascular Malformations (Apr 2024)
    • View all review series ...
  • Viewpoint
  • Collections
    • In-Press Preview
    • Clinical Research and Public Health
    • Research Letters
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Editorials
    • Commentaries
    • Editor's notes
    • Reviews
    • Viewpoints
    • 100th anniversary
    • Top read articles

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Specialties
  • Reviews
  • Review series
  • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
  • Video Abstracts
  • In-Press Preview
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Research Letters
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Editorials
  • Commentaries
  • Editor's notes
  • Reviews
  • Viewpoints
  • 100th anniversary
  • Top read articles
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
Top
  • View PDF
  • Download citation information
  • Send a comment
  • Terms of use
  • Standard abbreviations
  • Need help? Email the journal
  • Top
  • Abstract
  • Version history
  • Article usage
  • Citations to this article

Advertisement

Research Article Free access | 10.1172/JCI110859

Influence of successive vagal stimulations on contractions in esophageal smooth muscle of opossum.

J S Gidda and R K Goyal

Find articles by Gidda, J. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Find articles by Goyal, R. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Published May 1, 1983 - More info

Published in Volume 71, Issue 5 on May 1, 1983
J Clin Invest. 1983;71(5):1095–1103. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI110859.
© 1983 The American Society for Clinical Investigation
Published May 1, 1983 - Version history
View PDF
Abstract

Studies were performed in anesthetized opossums to investigate the influence of successive vagal stimuli on esophageal contractions. Mechanical activity was recorded manometrically 5 cm above the lower esophageal sphincter. Contractions in the esophagus were evoked by electrical stimuli of 2.5 mA, and 1-ms pulse duration applied to the cervical vagi, at various train durations and frequencies. Paired or multiple stimuli of 1-s train length were also tested at different interstimulus intervals (ISI). Paired stimuli at an ISI of less than or equal to 3 s and at a frequency of less than or equal to 10 Hz showed refractoriness, i.e., the contractions to the first stimulus inhibited the contraction to the second stimulus. A frequency of 50 Hz showed initial inhibition, i.e., the second stimulus inhibited the contraction to the first stimulus. Repetitive stimuli applied at a rate of 8/min (ISI 6.5 s) evoked contractions to each stimulus. At 15/min, every second or third contraction was inhibited. With stimuli applied at 30/min, contractions occurred only in response to the first and/or the last stimulus; depending upon the frequency of vagal stimulation. The intervening stimuli did not evoke any contractions. A long train stimulus produced an initial, a terminal, or both contractions depending on the stimulation value. These studies show that (a) vagal efferent stimulation causes initial inhibition and refractoriness in the esophageal smooth muscle; (b) the degree of initial inhibition increases with increasing frequency of stimulation; (c) the occurrence of contractions only at the onset and the end of a long train stimulus may be due to the influence of initial inhibition and refractoriness.

Browse pages

Click on an image below to see the page. View PDF of the complete article

icon of scanned page 1095
page 1095
icon of scanned page 1096
page 1096
icon of scanned page 1097
page 1097
icon of scanned page 1098
page 1098
icon of scanned page 1099
page 1099
icon of scanned page 1100
page 1100
icon of scanned page 1101
page 1101
icon of scanned page 1102
page 1102
icon of scanned page 1103
page 1103
Version history
  • Version 1 (May 1, 1983): No description

Article tools

  • View PDF
  • Download citation information
  • Send a comment
  • Terms of use
  • Standard abbreviations
  • Need help? Email the journal

Metrics

  • Article usage
  • Citations to this article

Go to

  • Top
  • Abstract
  • Version history
Advertisement
Advertisement

Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

Sign up for email alerts