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Measurement of strains experienced by viscerofugal nerve cell bodies during mechanosensitive firing using Digital Image Correlation

Measurement of strains experienced by viscerofugal nerve cell bodies during mechanosensitive firing using Digital Image Correlation
Measurement of strains experienced by viscerofugal nerve cell bodies during mechanosensitive firing using Digital Image Correlation
Mechanosensory neurons detect physical events in the local environments of the tissues that they innervate. Studies of mechanosensitivity of neurons or nerve endings in the gut have related their firing to strain, wall tension or pressure. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is a technique from materials engineering that can be adapted to measure the local physical environments of afferent neurons at high resolution. Flat sheet preparations of guinea pig distal colon were set up with arrays of tissue markers, in vitro. Firing of single viscerofugal neurons was identified in extracellular colonic nerve recordings. The locations of viscerofugal nerve cell bodies were inferred by mapping firing responses to focal application of the nicotinic receptor agonist, DMPP. Mechanosensory firing was recorded during load-evoked uni-axial or bi-axial distensions. Distension caused movement of surface markers which was captured using video imaging. DIC tracked the markers, interpolating the mechanical state of the gut at the location of the viscerofugal nerve cell body. This technique revealed heterogeneous load-evoked strain within preparations. Local strains at viscerofugal nerve cell bodies were usually smaller than global strain measurements and correlated more closely with mechanosensitive firing. Both circumferential and longitudinal strain activated viscerofugal neurons. Simultaneous loading in circumferential and longitudinal axes, caused the highest levels of viscerofugal neuron firing. Multiaxial strains, reflecting tissue shearing and changing area, linearly correlated with mechanosensory firing of viscerofugal neurons. Viscerofugal neurons were mechanically sensitive to both local circumferential and local longitudinal gut strain, and appear to lack directionality in their stretch sensitivity.
mechanosensory, afferent, strain, biomechanics, viscerofugal, digital image correlation
0193-1857
1-38
Palmer, Gwen
f0cdc935-bf20-4cab-bfae-c6fadcb1d8a8
Hibberd, Timothy James
0898620e-d6b8-4263-bb80-382e363fc7fa
Roose, Tiina
3581ab5b-71e1-4897-8d88-59f13f3bccfe
Brookes, Simon J.H.
ef7ae961-4dfe-4b7f-bab3-c30bd28b3b65
Taylor, Mark
9e06d135-016d-40e1-aea0-e6f5a2d345d6
Palmer, Gwen
f0cdc935-bf20-4cab-bfae-c6fadcb1d8a8
Hibberd, Timothy James
0898620e-d6b8-4263-bb80-382e363fc7fa
Roose, Tiina
3581ab5b-71e1-4897-8d88-59f13f3bccfe
Brookes, Simon J.H.
ef7ae961-4dfe-4b7f-bab3-c30bd28b3b65
Taylor, Mark
9e06d135-016d-40e1-aea0-e6f5a2d345d6

Palmer, Gwen, Hibberd, Timothy James, Roose, Tiina, Brookes, Simon J.H. and Taylor, Mark (2016) Measurement of strains experienced by viscerofugal nerve cell bodies during mechanosensitive firing using Digital Image Correlation. American Journal of Physiology: Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, 1-38. (doi:10.1152/ajpgi.00397.2015).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Mechanosensory neurons detect physical events in the local environments of the tissues that they innervate. Studies of mechanosensitivity of neurons or nerve endings in the gut have related their firing to strain, wall tension or pressure. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is a technique from materials engineering that can be adapted to measure the local physical environments of afferent neurons at high resolution. Flat sheet preparations of guinea pig distal colon were set up with arrays of tissue markers, in vitro. Firing of single viscerofugal neurons was identified in extracellular colonic nerve recordings. The locations of viscerofugal nerve cell bodies were inferred by mapping firing responses to focal application of the nicotinic receptor agonist, DMPP. Mechanosensory firing was recorded during load-evoked uni-axial or bi-axial distensions. Distension caused movement of surface markers which was captured using video imaging. DIC tracked the markers, interpolating the mechanical state of the gut at the location of the viscerofugal nerve cell body. This technique revealed heterogeneous load-evoked strain within preparations. Local strains at viscerofugal nerve cell bodies were usually smaller than global strain measurements and correlated more closely with mechanosensitive firing. Both circumferential and longitudinal strain activated viscerofugal neurons. Simultaneous loading in circumferential and longitudinal axes, caused the highest levels of viscerofugal neuron firing. Multiaxial strains, reflecting tissue shearing and changing area, linearly correlated with mechanosensory firing of viscerofugal neurons. Viscerofugal neurons were mechanically sensitive to both local circumferential and local longitudinal gut strain, and appear to lack directionality in their stretch sensitivity.

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Accepted/In Press date: 2 August 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 11 August 2016
Keywords: mechanosensory, afferent, strain, biomechanics, viscerofugal, digital image correlation
Organisations: Bioengineering Group

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 399393
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/399393
ISSN: 0193-1857
PURE UUID: 55a156df-0b54-4028-937a-1b1a1d998fab
ORCID for Tiina Roose: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8710-1063

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Date deposited: 15 Aug 2016 13:38
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 05:48

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Contributors

Author: Gwen Palmer
Author: Timothy James Hibberd
Author: Tiina Roose ORCID iD
Author: Simon J.H. Brookes
Author: Mark Taylor

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