ABSTRACT
The primary function of the gastrointestinal (GI) system is to supply the body with nutrients and water. The ingested food is moved along the alimentary canal at an appropriate rate for digestion, absorption, storage, and expulsion. The colon absorbs water and electrolytes from the chyme, concentrating and collecting waste products that are expelled from the system at appropriate times. All of these motor functions are performed by contractions of the muscle layers in the GI wall. The static nonlinearity represents the cellular membrane. Is mapper can be changed to represent the waveform of the specific cell being modeled. The mapped clock oscillator can represent transmembrane voltage oscillations in different systems. Neural and chemical factors determine whether or not contractions will occur, but when contractions are occurring, the myogenic control system determines the spatial and temporal patterns of contractions. Nelson and Becker suggested that the electrical rhythmic activity of the small intestine behaves like a system of coupled relaxation oscillators.
