Peristalsis

Peristalsis is a coordinated wave of smooth-muscle contraction that propels contents through a hollow passage, especially the digestive tract. Contraction behind the contents and relaxation ahead move them forward.

Enteric nervous system: The network of neurons embedded in the gastrointestinal tract that regulates digestion and gut movement. Its circuits coordinate contraction behind a bolus with relaxation ahead of it.
Gastrointestinal tract: The continuous muscular passage from mouth to anus through which food is digested and waste is eliminated. Peristalsis is one of the tract’s main ways of transporting contents.
Esophageal peristalsis: The coordinated contractions that move swallowed material down the esophagus toward the stomach. It is the clearest example of a peristaltic wave transporting a discrete bolus.
Antiperistalsis: A reverse wave of muscular contraction that moves contents toward the mouth rather than toward the anus. It reverses the usual direction of peristaltic transport.
Myenteric plexus: A network of enteric neurons between the circular and longitudinal muscle layers of the gut wall. This plexus chiefly coordinates gastrointestinal motility, including peristaltic waves.
Lumen: The hollow interior of a tubular organ or vessel. Peristaltic contractions change the lumen’s shape to move material through it.
Gastric peristalsis: Waves of muscular contraction in the stomach that mix food and help deliver it into the small intestine. Stomach waves combine propulsion with grinding and controlled emptying.
Migrating motor complex: A recurring pattern of contractions that sweeps through the stomach and small intestine between meals. This fasting pattern clears residual material and is distinct from meal-driven peristalsis.
Interstitial cells of Cajal: Specialized cells in the gastrointestinal wall that generate and conduct electrical slow waves. Their electrical rhythms help set the timing and pattern of gut contractions.
Smooth muscle: Involuntary muscle tissue whose spindle-shaped cells contract in the walls of internal organs. Its coordinated contractions form the muscular basis of digestive peristalsis.

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