Definition
Stimuli adequate for activation of visceral nociceptors include distension of hollow organs, traction on the mesentery, ischemia, and chemicals typically associated with organ inflammation. As experimental hollow organ distension (e.g., with a balloon) reproduces in human subjects the quality and localization of pathophysiological visceral disorders (see Ness and Gebhart 1990 for review), hollow organ distension and other mechanical stimuli (e.g., probing, stretch) have been most widely employed to examine the characteristics of visceral nociceptors. Powley and co-workers (2011) recently reported the presence of three vagal afferent specializations innervating the mucosa of the proximal GI tract: villus afferents, crypt afferents, and antral gland afferents. Their location suggests roles in chemosensation (response to nutrients, etc.); whether that...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Brierley, S. M., Jones, R. C. W., 3rd, Gebhart, G. F., et al. (2004). Splanchnic and pelvic mechanosensory afferents signal different qualities of colonic stimuli in mice. Gastroenterology, 127, 166–178.
Feng, B., & Gebhart, G. F. (2011). Characterization of silent afferents in the pelvic and splanchnic innervations of the mouse colorectum. The American Journal of Physiology, 300, G170–G180.
Kyloh, M., Nicholas, S., Zagorodnyuk, V. P., Brookes, S. J., & Spencer, N. J. (2011). Identification of the visceral pain pathway activated by noxious colorectal distension in mice. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 5, 16.
Ness, T. J., & Gebhart, G. F. (1990). Visceral pain: A review of experimental studies. Pain, 41, 167–234.
Powley, T. L., Spaulding, R. A., & Haglof, S. A. (2011). Vagal afferent innervation of the proximal gastrointestinal tract mucosa: Chemoreceptor and mechanoreceptor architecture. The Journal of Comparative Neurology, 519, 644–660.
Sengupta, J. N., & Gebhart, G. F. (1995). Mechanosensitive afferent fibers in the gastrointestinal and lower urinary tracts. In Progress in pain research and management. Visceral pain (Vol. 5, pp. 75–98). Seattle: IASP Press.
Xu, L., & Gebhart, G. F. (2008). Mouse lumbar splanchnic and pelvic nerve mechanosensory afferents encode different qualities of urinary bladder stimuli. Journal of Neurophysiology, 99, 244–253.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this entry
Cite this entry
Feng, B., Gebhart, G.F. (2013). Visceral Mechanoreceptors. In: Gebhart, G.F., Schmidt, R.F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Pain. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28753-4_4906
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28753-4_4906
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-28752-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-28753-4
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences