Nearly 30 years ago, a number of scientists working on the Enteric Nervous System (ENS) gathered at Flinders University, in Adelaide, Australia to discuss the advances and future of their research. It was a friendly and stimulating meeting, attended by most of the major players, in what was to become the discipline of ‘Neurogastroenterology'. In 2014, the main Australasian Neuroscience Society meeting was held in Adelaide, Australia, providing the perfect opportunity to recreate a follow-up ENS meeting. As such, the ‘ENS II 2014 meeting’ aimed to identify how far the field of enteric neuroscience had developed, where the future was heading, and what technological advances had been made to address current and future unresolved questions. 30 speakers from around the world were invited to give talks and revisit the original expectations, the advances made since, and the future directions of ENS research. These discussions included three generations of investigators from 7 different countries. This publication represents the majority of proceedings from the ‘The Enteric Nervous System II 2014’ conference, which was held on February 1st - 2nd 2014 at the National Wine Centre of Australia, Adelaide. This meeting was an Official satellite meeting of the 34th Annual Meeting of Australasian Neuroscience Society, which was also held in Adelaide. The 20 contributions contained within this submission are from international researchers in the field of the ENS, who reviewed the advances made since the first meeting in the early 1980s and summarizes the present and future perspectives of neuro-gastroenterology. Some colleagues could not attend but did send greetings and their messages are included in these proceedings.

This book first presents an overview on the chemical coding of the morphological neuron types described by Stach in the pig intestine. In doing so, we have pointed out the difference between the definitions of type I neurons given by Dogiel and Stach. Secondly, it provides a basis for the morpho-chemical classification of human enteric neurons as revealed by their immunoreactivity for neurofilaments and several neuroactive substances or related markers.

The enteric nervous system (ENS) is a complex neural network embedded in the gut wall that orchestrates the reflex behaviors of the intestine. The ENS is often referred to as the “little brain” in the gut because the ENS is more similar in size, complexity and autonomy to the central nervous system (CNS) than other components of the autonomic nervous system. Like the brain, the ENS is composed of neurons that are surrounded by glial cells. Enteric glia are a unique type of peripheral glia that are similar to astrocytes of the CNS. Yet enteric glial cells also differ from astrocytes in many important ways. The roles of enteric glial cell populations in the gut are beginning to come to light and recent evidence implicates enteric glia in almost every aspect of gastrointestinal physiology and pathophysiology. However, elucidating the exact mechanisms by which enteric glia influence gastrointestinal physiology and identifying how those roles are altered during gastrointestinal pathophysiology remain areas of intense research. The purpose of this e-book is to provide an introduction to enteric glial cells and to act as a resource for ongoing studies on this fascinating population of glia. Table of Contents: Introduction / A Historical Perspective on Enteric Glia / Enteric Glia: The Astroglia of the Gut / Molecular Composition of Enteric Glia / Development of Enteric Glia / Functional Roles of Enteric Glia / Enteric Glia and Disease Processes in the Gut / Concluding Remarks / References / Author Biography

The authors of the most cited neuroscience publication, The Rat Brain in Stereotaxic Coordinates, have written this introductory textbook for neuroscience students. The text is clear and concise, and offers an excellent introduction to the essential concepts of neuroscience. - Based on contemporary neuroscience research rather than old-style medical school neuroanatomy - Thorough treatment of motor and sensory systems - A detailed chapter on human cerebral cortex - The neuroscience of consciousness, memory, emotion, brain injury, and mental illness - A comprehensive chapter on brain development - A summary of the techniques of brain research - A detailed glossary of neuroscience terms - Illustrated with over 130 color photographs and diagrams This book will inspire and inform students of neuroscience. It is designed for beginning students in the health sciences, including psychology, nursing, biology, and medicine. - Clearly and concisely written for easy comprehension by beginning students - Based on contemporary neuroscience research rather than the concepts of old-style medical school neuroanatomy - Thorough treatment of motor and sensory systems - A detailed chapter on human cerebral cortex - Discussion of the neuroscience of conscience, memory, cognitive function, brain injury, and mental illness - A comprehensive chapter on brain development - A summary of the techniques of brain research - A detailed glossary of neuroscience terms - Illustrated with over 100 color photographs and diagrams

This is the third edition of a comprehensive study of the neuronal disorders of the lower gastrointestinal tract in children. Important new studies and progress in research on bowel motility and motility disorders are covered in detail as well as new aspects concerning the embryology, functional anatomy of the enteric nervous system. In particular new insights have been received from the studies in the genetics of Hirschsprung's disease. Special emphasis is laid on new surgical techniques, especially on the laparoscopic approach in combination with Soave's or Duhamel's technique.

The long tube that makes up the gastrointestinal tract is composed of a variety of tissue types and is the largest internal organ of the body. Its main function is to digest food and absorb the released nutrients. Furthermore, it is subdivided into functionally distinct regions that each mediate one of a variety of actions upon the food consumed, including ingestion, propulsion, secretion, digestion, absorption and expulsion. Autonomic neuronal circuitry is intimately involved in controlling many of these multiple functions of the gut, making it an appealing subject for the study of neuroscientists. This book reviews the state of current knowledge on the innervation of the gut by the enteric nervous system, and its interface with the extrinsic innervation, from a number of different perspectives, with the aim of providing a comprehensive and accessible account of the subject.

The gastrointestinal tract is a long, muscular tube responsible for the digestion of food, assimilation of nutrients and elimination of waste. This is achieved by secretion of digestive enzymes and absorption from the intestinal lumen, with different regions playing specific roles in the processing of specific nutrients. These regions come into play sequentially as ingested material is moved along the length of the GI tract by contractions of the muscle layers. In some regions like the oesophagus transit it rapid and measured in seconds while in others like the colon transit is measured in hours and even days, commensurate with the relative slow fermentation that takes place in the large bowel. An hierarchy of controls, neural and endocrine, serve to regulate the various cellular targets that exist in the gut wall. These include muscle cells for contraction and epithelial cells for secretion and absorption. However, there are complex interactions between these digestive mechanisms and other mechanisms that regulate blood flow, immune function, endocrine secretion and food intake. These ensure a fine balance between the ostensibly conflicting tasks of digestion and absorption and protection from potentially harmful ingested materials. They match assimilation of nutrients with hunger and satiety and they ensure that regions of the GI tract that are meters apart work together in a coordinated fashion to match these diverse functions to the digestive needs of the individual. This ebook will provide an overview of the neural mechanisms that control gastrointestinal function. Table of Contents: Neural Control of Gastrointestinal Function / Cells and Tissues / Enteric Nervous System / From Gut to CNS: Extrinsic Sensory Innervation / Sympathetic Innervation of the Gut / Parasympathetic Innervation of the Gut / Integration of Function / References

Up-to-date reviews on the mechanisms of gastrointestinal injury and protection In recent years, there have been significant advances both in understanding the mechanisms involved in gastrointestinal mucosal injury and protection, as well as in the development of successful strategies for prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal injury. Nevertheless, many people worldwide still suffer from gastrointestinal damage. This book contains contributions by an international panel of researchers in the form of up-to-date reviews on the mechanisms of gastrointestinal injury and protection. These are complemented by papers discussing how these new findings about cell/tissue injury and cytoprotection/organoprotection can be applied to the prevention and treatment of tissue damage in the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, the publication includes a special chapter on Andre Robert, who has discovered the phenomenon of gastric cytoprotection. This publication will be of great interest for both basic and clinical researchers in gastroenterology and pharmacology, reviewing the advances made so far and pointing towards future developments.