Functional morphology of the enteric nervous system with special reference to large mammals

Abstract

This short review reports the latest insights into the structural organization of the enteric nervous system, with special emphasis on the intrinsic innervation of the intestinal tract of large omnivorous mammals such as the pig. Using various techniques, including lesion experiments, morphological and neurochemical features of distinct neuronal populations as well as the direction of the axonal processes within the different nerve networks could be revealed. Special attention was paid to the considerable species differences in this respect between large omnivorous animals and humans on the one hand and small laboratory animals on the other hand.