Rectal barostat balloon, partially inflated

A barostat is a device used to maintain constant pressure in a closed chamber. Their main principle is providing constant pressures in a balloon by means of a pneumatic pump. Pressure (symbol 'p' is the force per unit Area applied to an object in a direction perpendicular to the surface A balloon is a flexible bag filled with a type of Gas, such as Helium, Hydrogen, Nitrous oxide or air. Pneumatics, Pressurized gas to affect mechanical motion Pneumatic power is used in Industry, where it is common to have factory units plumbed for Compressed For information on Wikipedia project-related discussions see WikipediaVillage pump. Barostats are frequently used in Neurogastroenterology research, where they are used for measuring gut wall tension or sensory thresholds in the gut. Neurogastroenterology is a research area in the field of Gastroenterology which regards interactions of the central nervous system ( Brain) and the Gut - In Physics String Tension is the magnitude of the pulling force exerted by a string cable chain or similar object on another object

A specially designed instrument is needed in Neurogastroenterology research since the gut wall has an outstanding capacity to expand and contract spontaneously and by reflex. A reflex action, also known as a reflex, is an involuntary and almost instant movement in response to stimulus. When this occurs, a balloon placed anywhere in the gut has to be inflated or deflated very rapidly in order to maintain a constant pressure in this balloon.

Barostat-balloon systems have been used anywhere in the gut, including the esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon, and the rectum ampulla. The esophagus or oesophagus (see American and British English spelling differences) sometimes known as the gullet, is an organ in In Human anatomy, the stomach is a J-shaped hollow muscular organ of the Gastrointestinal tract involved in the second phase of Digestion, following In Biology the small Intestine is the part of the Gastrointestinal tract (gut between the Stomach and the Large intestine, and comprises The colon is a storage tube for solid wastes The main function of the colon appears to be extraction of Water and salts from Feces. The rectum (from the Latin rectum intestinum, meaning straight intestine) is the final straight portion of the Large intestine in some Mammals

Computer-driven barostats have widely been used to assess sensation and pain thresholds in the gut. A computer is a Machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions. Assessment of pain thresholds in the ampulla recti has been proposed as diagnostic measure in irritable bowel syndrome. Diagnosis is the identification by Process of elimination, of the nature of anything In Gastroenterology, irritable bowel syndrome ( IBS) is a Functional bowel disorder characterized by mild to severe Abdominal pain, discomfort

A typical method for measuring thresholds is the single random staircase or tracking procedure. This is a blend of two paradigms widely used in psychophysical research: ascending stimuli (prone to perception bias) and random stimuli. In the Behavioural sciences eg Psychology, Biology, Neurosciences, an experimental paradigm is an experimental setup (i Psychophysics is a subdiscipline of Psychology dealing with the relationship between physical stimuli and their subjective correlates or Percepts Perspective in theory of Cognition is the choice of a context or a Reference (or the result of this choice from which to Sense, Categorize Randomness is a lack of order Purpose, cause, or predictability The latter is regarded unethically since pain thresholds vary over a wide range in the gut, and therefore stimuli with random intensity can hurt very much. In a tracking procedure, ascending stimuli are used until the threshold is reached. Then the tracking phase begins. If the subject rates a stimulus to be above the threshold, the next stimulus will be chosen in a random process to be a 'stair' higher than the last one or of the same intensity. If, however, the subject rates the stimulus to be under the threshold, a less intense or similar stimulus will follow. Therefore, each stimulus is unpredictable in this phase.

See also: enteric nervous system, gut