Myoelectric activity of the ileum, cecum, and right ventral colon in ponies during interdigestive, nonfeeding, and digestive periods
Authors: Ross Michael W. , Cullen Kenneth K. , Rutkowski Judith A. 
Published: January 2024

Myoelectric activity of the ileum, cecum, and right ventral colon (rvc) was studied in 4 mature ponies. Eight Ag-AgCl bipolar recording electrodes were sutured to the seromuscular layer of the ileum (2 electrodes), cecum (4 electrodes), and RVC (2 electrodes). Myoelectric activity was studied beginning 10 days after surgery. Eight, 60-minute recording sessions were performed in each pony during the interdigestive period, which was the period 3 to 7 hours after the morning feeding. On separate days, food was withheld for 24 hours, and 90-minute recordings were obtained during the nonfeeding period. Ponies were then fed a normal ration, and recordings were continued to obtain data for the digestive (feeding) period.

All phases of the migrating myoelectric complex were seen at both ileal electrodes during the interdigestive period, including the periods of no spiking activity (phase 1), irregular spiking activity (phase 2), and regular spiking activity (phase 3). Phase 2 occupied 77% of the total recording time, and the mean duration of phases 1,2, and 3 was 3.4 ± 0.2, 12.8 ± 1.2, and 6.7 ± 0.7 min, respectively. Frequency of ileal slow waves was 11.8 ± 0.1/min, and spike burst conduction velocity was 4.7 ± 0.3 cm/s. A complete migrating myoelectric complex was seen in 11 of 32 tracings (34%) and had a mean duration of 24.2 ± 2.6 min. The ileal migrating action potential complex, most often seen in phase 2, had a frequency of 4.8 ± 0.5 spike bursts/h and a conduction velocity of 13.6 ± 0.4 cm/s. The migrating action potential complex was detected directly before retrograde cecal myoelectric activity 73% of the time, indicating possible myoelectric coupling of the ileum and cecum.

Motility patterns recognized in the cecum included: pattern I, spike bursts beginning at the apex and conducted to the cranial base; pattern II, spike bursts beginning at the caudal base and conducted to the apex; pattern III, spike bursts beginning at the cranial base and conducted to the apex; and pattern IV, termed the progressive pattern, beginning at the cecal apex, conducted through the cecal base and cecocolic orifice and into the RVC. The progressive pattern was detected at a frequency of 34.2 ± 1.8 spike bursts/h and was often preceded by (71%), followed by (64%), or preceded and followed by (51%) pattern I or II. This recurring sequence of cecal myoelectric events was termed the cecal myoelectric complex.

In the RVC, 2 patterns of myoelectric activity were seen: aborally directed propulsive spike bursts (3.6 ± 0.6 spike bursts/h) and orally directed retropulsive spike bursts (7.2 ± 1.2 spike bursts/h), confirming that propulsion and retropulsion exist in the RVC.

Nonfeeding caused a significant decrease in the frequency of ileal migrating action potential complex (P = 0.008), cecal pattern III (P = 0.003), and the progressive motility pattern (P = 0.003). Nonfeeding caused a significant decrease (P ≤ 0.009) in the appearance of the cecal myoelectric complex. Feeding caused a significant increase (P = 0.003) in the mean frequency of the progressive pattern compared with the nonfeeding period, but this was significantly less than during the interdigestive period (P = 0.003).