11.   There is good evidence that gastrointestinal motor functions become impaired as diabetic patients develop autonomic neuropathy.

12.   The present study confirmed and extended previous observations that different gut motor functions can be impaired in diabetic patients with cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy.

13.   The lack of correlation between the four motility parameters furthermore implies that the disturbed motor functions develop independently and can affect any gut system.

14.   Thus a bile salt dependent release mechanism could represent a sensitive and important mechanism for controlling intestinal absorption by motor function and mucosal growth.

15.   The possibility that abnormalities in intestinal motor function may be important has also been recognised.

16.   The motor function of the colon is probably the least understood of the various hollow viscera of the human body.

17.   This is partly because of the marked variability of colonic motor function and the short recording periods usually used, generally not exceeding three hours.

18.   The genesis of abdominal pain or disordered bowel habit is generally ascribed to abnormal colonic motor function.

19.   Despite research contributions for many countries the normal and pathological motor function of the colon remains poorly understood.

20.   Colonic motor function has also been investigated with electromyography, the electrodes being attached to the mucosa in the intact human.