A preliminary model of gastrointestinal electromechanical coupling.

Gastrointestinal (GI) motility is coordinated by several cooperating mechanisms, including electrical slow wave activity, the enteric nervous system (ENS), and other factors. Slow waves generated in interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) depolarize smooth muscle cells (SMC), generating basic GI contractions. This unique electrical coupling presents an added layer of complexity to GI electromechanical models, and a current barrier to further progress is the lack of a framework for ICC-SMC-contraction coupling.