Gastroduodenal electrical activity in turkeys.

Bipolar Ag/AgCl electrodes were implanted in the stomach and duodenum of 21 turkeys to study electrical activity in those organs. Intraluminal pressure changes were also monitored. For comparative purposes, electric slow waves were recorded from the stomach of turkeys. Although slow waves were recorded from the duodenum of turkeys, the waves were observed to wax and wane and were possibly not the major regulators of duodenal contractile activity. Several bursts of action potentials and several contractions usually occurred in the duodenum during one slow-wave cycle. Duodenal motility appeared to be totally coordinated with the gastric cycle. Impulses conducted over intrinsic nerves from a gastric pacemaker (15) were proposed as a possible mechanism for initiating and coordinating gastroduodenal motor activity.