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nmdcat.online July 28, 2026

During the process of peristalsis in the digestive tract, a wave of contraction passes continuously down the organ. This is made possible structurally because the smooth muscle cells are:

A. Innervated individually by somatic motor neurons
B. Arranged in isolated, independent functional units
C. Electrically coupled by gap junctions
✓
D. Lacking any attachment to dense bodies

📝 Explanation

Visceral (single-unit) smooth muscle cells in the digestive tract are electrically connected by gap junctions. This allows action potentials generated by pacemaker cells or stretching to spread rapidly from cell to cell, resulting in the coordinated wave-like contraction of peristalsis.

📖 Additional Information

  • Innervated individually by somatic motor neurons
  • Arranged in isolated, independent functional units
  • Electrically coupled by gap junctions
  • Lacking any attachment to dense bodies

Visceral (single-unit) smooth muscle cells in the digestive tract are electrically connected by gap junctions. This allows action potentials generated by pacemaker cells or stretching to spread rapidly from cell to cell, resulting in the coordinated wave-like contraction of peristalsis.

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