POSSIBILITY OF POSTPRANDIAL ELECTROGASTROGRAPHY FOR EVALUATING VAGAL NONVAGAL CHOLINERGIC ACTIVITY IN HUMANS, THROUGH SIMULTANEOUS ANALYSISOF POSTPRANDIAL HEART-RATE-VARIABILITY AND SERUM IMMUNOREACTIVE HORMONE LEVELS

Objectives: To investigate changes in postprandial electrogastrography (EGG) from the neurohormonal mechanisms, Methods: We measured EGG ind ices [frequency and amplitude of normal 3-cpm (EGG-3 cpm)], high frequ ency amplitude of heart rate variability which has reflected cardiac p arasympathetic tone, and several serum immunoreactive (ir)-hormone lev els in 12 fasted male volunteers (mean age 25.3 yr), Results: Immediat ely after the liquid food intake (250 kcal), a transient decrease in E GG-3 cpm frequency (from 0.045 +/- 0.001 Hz to 0.040 +/- 0.001 Hz; p < 0.05) accompanied by an increase in high frequency amplitude (from 31 .05 +/- 3.45 ms to 39.10 +/- 4.08 ms; p < 0.05), and a serum immunorea ctive gastrin level increase (from 38.72 +/- 4.92 pmol/L to 54.00 +/- 10.45 pmol/L; p < 0.05) and an immunoreactive somatostatin level decre ase (from 15.00 +/- 0.43 pmol/L to 13.70 +/- 0.46 pmol/L; p < 0.01) we re observed, suggesting vagal excitement, EGG-3 cpm amplitude and seru m immunoreactive human pancreatic polypeptide (hPP) levels significant ly increased soon after ingestion, and these changes lasted for 30 min , Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between changes in EGG -3 cpm amplitude and those in serum immunoreactive hPP levels during t he postprandial periods (r = 0.55,p < 0.001), Conclusions: Considering the reports that a cholinergic, nonvagal pathway is of major importan ce in food-stimulated hPP release, the present results suggest that po stprandial changes in EGG-3 cpm frequency and amplitude might be a goo d tool for evaluating not only vagal but also nonvagal cholinergic act ivity in the human gut.