The spontaneous discharge in abdominal vagal efferents in the dog and ferret.

This study demonstrates by collision that vagal efferent fibres project from the dorsal medulla to the intra-abdominal organs in the dog and ferret. The efferents had a low frequency (below 5 Hz) spontaneous discharge with the majority having a unimodal distribution of interspike intervals. This background level of activity is sufficient to account for the basal levels of secretion and motility observed during the interdigestive period.