Neurogastroenterology and motility : the official journal of the European Gastrointestinal Motility Society
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Neurogastroenterol. Motil. · Jan 2014
Swallowing dysfunction in healthy older people using pharyngeal pressure-flow analysis.
Age-related loss of swallowing efficiency may occur for multiple reasons. Objective assessment of individual dysfunctions is difficult and may not clearly differentiate these from normal. Pharyngeal pressure-flow analysis is a novel technique that allows quantification of swallow dysfunction predisposing to aspiration risk based on a swallow risk index (SRI). In this study, we examined the effect of ageing on swallow function. ⋯ Pharyngeal pressure-flow analysis reveals multiple functional abnormalities in older individuals. The higher SRI levels seen in asymptomatic elders possibly reflect a loss of functional reserve with ageing. Automated impedance manometry analysis of swallow function may allow the risk of developing disordered swallowing to be quantified numerically.
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Neurogastroenterol. Motil. · Dec 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialInfluence of a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist (aprepitant) on gastric sensorimotor function in healthy volunteers.
Substance P (SP) is a member of the neurokinin (NK) family and is one of the established neurotransmitters in the mammalian central and enteric nervous system. It is unclear whether NK1 receptors are involved in the control of gastric sensorimotor function in man. ⋯ In health, NK1 receptors do not appear to be involved in the control of gastric compliance, accommodation or sensitivity to distention in man.
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Neurogastroenterol. Motil. · Dec 2013
Comparative StudyPsychological traits influence autonomic nervous system recovery following esophageal intubation in health and functional chest pain.
Esophageal intubation is a widely utilized technique for a diverse array of physiological studies, activating a complex physiological response mediated, in part, by the autonomic nervous system (ANS). In order to determine the optimal time period after intubation when physiological observations should be recorded, it is important to know the duration of, and factors that influence, this ANS response, in both health and disease. ⋯ Esophageal intubation activates a flight/flight ANS response. Future studies should allow for at least 10 min of recovery time. Consideration should be given to psychological traits and disease status as these can influence recovery.
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Neurogastroenterol. Motil. · Dec 2013
Perception and pain thresholds for cutaneous heat and cold, and rectal distension: associations and disassociations.
Hypersensitivity to somatic or visceral pain has been reported in numerous clinical conditions such as fibromyalgia or the irritable bowel syndrome, and general hypersensitivity has been proposed to be the underlying mechanism. However, cross-modal relationships especially between somatic and visceral pain have rarely been investigated even in healthy volunteers. Furthermore, psychological influences on pain have rarely been characterized across modalities. ⋯ Moderate associations were found for pain thresholds across modalities. The strength of the associations and their stability over time warrants further investigation and might serve to increase the understanding of conditions affecting multiple pain modalities.
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Neurogastroenterol. Motil. · Dec 2013
Susceptibility to stress induced visceral hypersensitivity in maternally separated rats is transferred across generations.
In irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), familial clustering and transfer across generations may largely depend on environmental factors but this is difficult to establish in the human setting. Therefore, we aimed to set up a relevant animal model. We investigated whether susceptibility to stress induced visceral hypersensitivity in maternally separated (MS) Long Evans rats can be transferred across generations without further separation protocols and, if so, whether this depends on maternal care. ⋯ Maternal separated-induced susceptibility to stress-triggered visceral hypersensitivity is transferred across generations and this transfer depends on maternal care. Thus, MS is a suitable model to evaluate environmental triggers relevant to IBS clustering in families.