Morphological Features of the Esophageal Enteric Nervous System and Its Stereological Changes during Aging

Abstract

Following the enteric nervous system (ENS) of the gastrointestinal tract, the esophageal ENS attracts more and more attention of neuroscience researchers. Despite its continuity with the ENS of the gastrointestinal tract, the esophageal ENS possesses many unique morphological and functional features. This review collates the evidence of recent years, focusing mainly on the morphological features of the esophageal ENS in adult mammals andits stereological and morphological changes during aging.