Radiological analysis of gastrointestinal dysmotility in a model of central nervous dopaminergic degeneration: Comparative study with conventional in vivo techniques in the rat

Introduction: Gastrointestinal (GI) motility disorders includemany clinical manifestations associatedwith various pathologies. They are widespread and can be considered a primary symptom or can be associated to other diseases, such as Parkinson's disease. Understanding the type and site of GI dysmotility is crucial to identify the functional abnormality and to unravel the underlying mechanisms, in order to design adequate therapeutic interventions. Methods: In the present study, we applied radiological analysis, a common tool in clinical practice, to follow up in vivo the progression of GI dysmotility over time and along the entire GI tract in an animal model of central nervous dopaminergic degeneration and compared these results to those obtained with standard techniques commonly used to assess GI motor functions in small rodents. Results: Our radiological data, showing delayed gastricemptying and constipation, agree with and expand previous information obtained with other functional assays in the samemodel, suggesting that radiological analysis can be an appropriate method to explore GI dysmotility in animal models of human pathologies. Discussion: In this studywe have applied for the first time the GI radiological analysis to an animal model of central nervous dopaminergic degeneration providing a non-invasive/animal-preserving approach, ethicallymore acceptable and useful to follow up the development of GI dysmotility in pathologies evolving over time.