AUTHOR=Wang Xi-yang , Chen Xiao-qi , Wang Guo-quan , Cai Rong-lin , Wang Hao , Wang Hai-tao , Peng Xiao-qi , Zhang Meng-ting , Huang Shun , Shen Guo-ming TITLE=A neural circuit for gastric motility disorders driven by gastric dilation in mice JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience VOLUME=17 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1069198 DOI=10.3389/fnins.2023.1069198 ISSN=1662-453X ABSTRACT=Introduction

Symptoms of gastric motility disorders are common clinical manifestations of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), and are triggered and exacerbated by stress, but the neural pathways underpinning them remain unclear.

Methods

We set-up a mouse model by gastric dilation (GD) in which the gastric dynamics were assessed by installing strain gauges on the surface of the stomach. The neural pathway associated with gastric motility disorders was investigated by behavioral tests, electrophysiology, neural circuit tracing, and optogenetics and chemogenetics involving projections of the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) from the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) to acetylcholine (ChAT) neurons in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV).

Results

We found that GD induced gastric motility disorders were accompanied by activation of PVNCRH neurons, which could be alleviated by strategies that inhibits the activity of PVNCRH neurons. In addition, we identified a neural pathway in which PVNCRH neurons project into DMVChAT neurons, modulated activity of the PVNCRH→DMVChAT pathway to alleviate gastric motility disorders induced by GD.

Discussion

These findings indicate that the PVNCRH→DMVChAT pathway may mediate at least some aspects of GD related gastric motility, and provide new insights into the mechanisms by which somatic stimulation modulates the physiological functions of internal organs and systems.