Ageing and gastrointestinal sensory function : altered colonic mechanosensory and chemosensory function in the aged mouse

Ageing has a profound effect upon gastrointestinal function through mechanisms that are poorly understood (1). A feature of ageing is impaired sensory perception, including a diminished sensory response to inflammatory evoked gastrointestinal injury (2). Since nociception is a key consequence of disease or tissue injury, triggering neurogenic inflammation and pain behaviour, its attenuation with age has consequences for disease progression and seeking medical advice (3). However, surprisingly little is known about the mechanisms contributing towards the age-associated blunting of sensory perception. In this current study we investigated the effect of ageing upon colonic sensory signalling pathways in order to address this question.