Theoretical modelling to understand the neurotransmission mechanism in the gastrointestinal tract

In this paper we apply a novel experimental and theoretical method to study the neurotransmitter signalling process. This method allows the understanding of changes in uptake between different tissue types from the gastrointestinal tract. The reaction-diffusion model we used has shown that by changing the uptake rate, the slope of the response changed when the levels of 5-HT released were held constant. Experimental data from the ileum and colon obtained at one distance from the tissue shows no significant difference in the release profile, however measurements at multiple sites show different current slopes for the two tissues. The response based upon the theoretical data indicates that colon has a higher uptake rate than the ileum. These results show that the combination of a theoretical and experimental approach to study biological processes can provide a mean of gaining further inside into the mechanisms involved and can have important clinical applications.