Biomagnetic detection of gastric electrical activity in normal and vagotomized rabbits

• Published in: Neurogastroenterology and motility Vol. 15; no. 5; pp. 475 - 482
• Main Authors: Bradshaw, L. A., Myers, A. G., Redmond, A., Wikswo, J. P., Richards, W. O.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01.10.2003
• Subjects: Animals; bradygastria; electrical control activity; electrogastrogram; Electromagnetic Phenomena; Magnetics; magnetogastrogram; Male; Myoelectric Complex, Migrating - physiology; Rabbits; slow wave; tachygastria; Vagotomy; Vagus Nerve - physiology
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2982.2003.00432.x
• ISSN: 1350-1925

We recorded the vector magnetogastrogram (MGG) due to gastric electrical activity (GEA) in normal rabbits using a Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) magnetometer and measured the degree of correlation of the MGG with 24 channels of serosal electrodes. The vector magnetometer allows us to non‐invasively record three orthogonal magnetic field components and project the recorded magnetic field vector into arbitrary directions. We optimized the magnetic field vector direction to obtain the highest possible correlation with each serosal electrode recording. We performed a vagotomy and examined spatial and temporal changes in the serosal potential and in the transabdominal magnetic field. We obtained spatial information by mapping the recorded signals to the electrode positions in the gastric musculature. Temporal evidence of uncoupling was observed in spectral analyses of both serosal electrode and SQUID magnetometer recordings. We conclude that non‐invasive recordings of the vector magnetogastrogram reflect underlying serosal potentials as well as pathophysiological changes following vagotomy.