The gastrointestinal tract is a tube, along which contents are pushed by the coordinated movements of its muscular wall. These movements are controlled mainly by the enteric nervous system, an extensive network of nerve cells that lies in the wall of the mammalian gastrointestinal tract. It is the largest division of the autonomic nervous system and contains approximately the same number of neurones as the spinal cord. The central nervous system receives information from the digestive tract via extrinsic sensory neurons, with cell bodies in nodose and dorsal root ganglia. These pathways give rise to sensation from the gut and also activate the sympathetic and parasympathetic pathways that run back to the gut. Our laboratory studies many aspects of gut neuronal function and in recent years has extended these approaches to understanding the neural control of the bladder.
Much of our current research aims to understand the functioning of the sensory pathways which run from the gut to the central nervous system. We are interested in identifying the different types of extrinsic sensory neurons, the type of information they convey and how they are activated. These neurons play important roles in diverse reflexes and sensations ranging from hunger and satiety, controlling gut motility, conveying sensations of rectal urgency and, of course, activating pain pathways. We study these neurons electrophysiologically, morphologically and immunohistochemically. Many of the techniques that we use have been developed or substantially optimised within the laboratory, to characterise visceral sensory neurons in detail.
Arkwright JW, Blenman NG, Underhill ID, Maunder SA, Spencer NJ, Costa M, Brookes SJ, Szczesniak MM, Dinning PG (2011) A fibre optic catheter for simultaneous measurement of longitudinal and circumferential muscular activity in the gastrointestinal tract. J Biophotonics, 4(4):244-51
Kyloh M, Nicholas S, Zagorodnyuk VP, Brookes SJH, Spencer NJ (2011) Identification of the visceral pain pathway activated by noxious colorectal distension in mice. Front. Neurosci., 5:16
Brookes SJH, Dinning PG, Gladman MA (2010) Neuroanatomy and physiology of colorectal function and defecation: from basic science to human clinical studies. Neurogastroenterology and Motility, 21(supp2): 9-19
Hennig GW, Gregory S, Brookes SJ, Costa M (2010) Non-peristaltic patterns of motor activity in the guinea-pig proximal colon. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 22(6):e207-17
Cook IJ, Brookes, SJ, Dinning PG (2010) Sensory and Motor Function of the Colon. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, and Brandt LJ, Eds. Sleisenger and Fordtran’s: Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease, 9th Edition, Philadelphia: Saunders; Vol 2, Ch 98; 1660-1674
Zagorodnyuk VP, Brookes SJ, Spencer NJ (2010) Structure-function relationship of sensory endings in the gut and bladder. Auton Neurosci. 153(1-2):3-11
Song X, Chen BN, Zagorodnyuk VP, Lynn PA, Blackshaw LA, Grundy
D, Brunsden AM, Costa M, Brookes SJ (2009) Identification
of medium/high-threshold extrinsic mechanosensitive afferent nerves
to the gastrointestinal tract. Gastroenterology 137(1):
274-84
Grundy D, Brookes SJH (2009) Mechanosensory
Transduction. In: Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Ed: Squire
LR, Elsevier. Pages 697-702. ISBN: 978-0-08-045046-9
Zagorodnyuk VP,
Brookes SJ, Spencer NJ, Gregory S (2009)
Mechanotransduction and chemosensitivity of two major classes
of bladder afferents with endings in the vicinity to the urothelium. J
Physiol, 587(Pt 14):3523-38
Costa M, Brookes SJH (2009) Neuropeptides: Enteric
Nervous System. In: Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Ed:
Squire LR, Elsevier. Pages 899-906. ISBN: 978-0-08-045046-9
Hughes PA, Brierley SM, Martin CM, Brookes SJH, Linden DR & Blackshaw
LA (2009) Post-inflammatory colonic afferent sensitization:
different subtypes, different pathways, and different time-courses. Gut,
58(10):1333-41
Zagorodnyuk VP, Gregory S, Costa M, Brookes SJH, Tramontana M,
Giuliani S & Maggi CA (2009) Spontaneous release
of acetylcholine from autonomic nerves in the bladder. Br J
Pharmacol, 157(4):607-619
O’Dea CJ, Brookes SJH and Wattchow DA (2009)
The efficacy of treatment of patients with severe constipation
or recurrent pseudo-obstruction with pyridostigmine. Colorectal
Disease, 12(6):540-8
Zagorodnyuk V, Gibbins I, Costa M, Brookes S & Gregory S
(2008) How many sensors in the bladder? Physiology News,
73:18-20
Spencer NJ, Kerrin A, Zagorodnyuk VP, Hennig GW, Muto M, Brookes
SJH, McDonnell O (2008) Identification of functional
intramuscular rectal mechanoreceptors in aganglionic rectal smooth
muscle from piebald lethal mice. Am J Physiol Gastrointest
Liver Physiol, 294(4)
G855-867
De Fontgalland D, Wattchow, DA, Costa M and Brookes SJH (2008)
Immunohistochemical characterisation of the innervation of human
colonic mesenteric and submucosal blood vessels. Neurogastroenterology
and Motility, 20(11):1212-1226
Wattchow D, Brookes S, Murphy E, Carbone S, de Fontgalland D,
Costa M (2008) Regional variation in the neurochemical
coding of the myenteric plexus of the human colon and changes in
patients with slow transit constipation. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 20(12):1298-305
Brookes SJ, Zagorodnyuk VP, Lynn PA, Song X, Chen N, Olsson C,
Costa M (2008) Structural basis of sensory nerve pathways from
the gut. European Review for Medical & Pharmacological
Sciences, 12 Suppl 1:132-3
Lynn PA, Chen BN, Zagorodnyuk VP, Costa M, and Brookes SJH (2008)
TNBS-induced inflammation modulates the function of one class
of low-threshold rectal mechanoreceptors in the guinea pig. Am
J Physiol (GI & Liver Physiol), 295(4):G862-71
