An Improved Understanding of Gut Function through High-Resolution Mapping and Multiscale Computational Modeling of the Gastrointestinal Tract

Abstract

Normal gastrointestinal (GI) motility is fundamental to digestion, with an underlying electrical activity, termed "slow waves," coordinating motility in much of the GI tract. Until recently, the specific characteristics of normal and abnormal slow wave propagation have remained uncertain, largely because previous research methods have lacked the spatial resolution required to resolve detailed propagation patterns. In response to this problem, high-resolution GI electrical mapping has been recently developed and applied to study slow wave propagation patterns, whereby spatially dense arrays of many electrodes have been simultaneously applied to the stomach and small intestine to define slow wave propagation characteristics in spatiotemporal detail. The subsequent experimental data have greatly improved our understanding of the underlying electrical control of GI motility, and the results have informed the development of multi-scale biophysically-based mathematical models of GI electromechanical activity. This chapter presents the current state of GI high-resolution electrical mapping and corresponding computational modeling, presenting an improved foundation for applying engineering principles to investigate the processes and mechanics of digestion.