Question:medium
Which cells are referred to as pacemaker cells in relation to the basic electrical rhythm (BER) of the gut?
Which cells are referred to as pacemaker cells in relation to the basic electrical rhythm (BER) of the gut?
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The gut slow-wave pacemakers are mesenchymal cells near the myenteric plexus, not cardiac nodes.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- SA node
- AV node
- Interstitial cells of Cajal
- Pyramidal cells
Show Solution
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: The gut has its own rhythm generator. The slow waves of the basic electrical rhythm arise without nerve input from specialised pacemaker cells embedded in the gut wall.
Step 2: These pacemakers are the interstitial cells of Cajal, mesenchyme-derived cells located near the myenteric plexus in the distal stomach and small intestine and at the submucosal border of the circular muscle in the colon. They are absent in the esophagus and proximal stomach.
Step 3: Discard the distractors: SA node and AV node are cardiac pacemaker and conduction tissue, while pyramidal cells are neurons of the cerebral cortex. Only the interstitial cells of Cajal pace the gut.
\[\boxed{Interstitial\ cells\ of\ Cajal}\]
Step 2: These pacemakers are the interstitial cells of Cajal, mesenchyme-derived cells located near the myenteric plexus in the distal stomach and small intestine and at the submucosal border of the circular muscle in the colon. They are absent in the esophagus and proximal stomach.
Step 3: Discard the distractors: SA node and AV node are cardiac pacemaker and conduction tissue, while pyramidal cells are neurons of the cerebral cortex. Only the interstitial cells of Cajal pace the gut.
\[\boxed{Interstitial\ cells\ of\ Cajal}\]
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