[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-456098-105":59,"doc-detail-456098-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","modeling-based-insights-into-mechanical-dysfunction-in-esophageal-motility-disorders-research-article","Modeling based insights into mechanical dysfunction in esophageal motility disorders - Research article","","Esophageal motility depends on continuous coupling between enteric neural activity and mechanical response, but the underlying interaction structure remains unclear. The study introduces an empirically guided neuromechanical model of the esophagus using unidirectionally coupled relaxation oscillators driven by mechanoreceptors sensitive to wall distension. The model reproduces clinically observed normal and abnormal responses to distension, including repetitive antegrade contractions from coupled neuromechanical dynamics. Disrupting excitatory-inhibitory balance or mechanoreceptor sensitivity generates contraction patterns resembling motility disorders, suggesting potential guidance for targeted pharmacological interventions.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/modeling-based-insights-into-mechanical-dysfunction-in-esophageal-motility-disorders-research-article/456098/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/modeling-based-insights-into-mechanical-dysfunction-in-esophageal-motility-disorders-research-article/456098.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Stanley","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-22","2026-09-30",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":24},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is the key goal of the neuromechanical model in this study?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"To clarify how enteric neural activity couples to esophageal mechanical response, explaining coordinated motion and disorder-like behaviors during distension.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How does the model generate repetitive antegrade contractions?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Repetitive antegrade contractions arise from coupled neuromechanical dynamics in response to sustained volumetric distension.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What causes contraction patterns resembling motility disorders in the model?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Altering the balance between excitatory and inhibitory neural activities or changing mechanoreceptor sensitivity—e.g., hypersensitivity leading to repetitive retrograde contractions—can produce disorder-like patterns.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},456098,1791297647,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":24,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":26,"preview_page_count":4},2336477405376,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","OPEN ACCESS  \nCitation: Elisha G, Halder S, Liu X, Carlson DA, Kahrilas PJ, Pandolfino JE, et al. (2025) Modeling based insights into mechanical dysfunction in esophageal motility disorders. PLoS Comput Biol 21(12): e1013778 . [https://doi.org/10.1371/](https://doi.org/10.1371/)[ ](https://doi.org/10.1371/)[journal.pcbi.1013778](journal.pcbi.1013778)  \nEditor: Ricardo Zavala Yoe, Tecnológicode Monterrey: Tecnologico de Monterrey, MEXICO  \nReceived: February 24, 2025  \nAccepted: November 22, 2025  \nPublished: December 26, 2025  \nCopyright: © 2025 Elisha et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.  \nData availability statement: The main data supporting the findings of this study are available within the paper and its Supporting Information. The codes to  \nRESEARCH ARTICLE  \nModeling based insights into mechanical dysfunction in esophageal motility disorders  \nGuy Elisha1 , Sourav Halder2,3 , Xinyi Liu4 , Dustin A. Carlson2,3 , Peter J. Kahrilas2,3 , John E. Pandolfino2,3 , Neelesh A. Patankar1,4 *  \n1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America, 2 Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America, 3 Kenneth C. Griffin Esophageal Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America, 4 Department of Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America  \n* [n-patankar@northwestern.edu](n-patankar@northwestern.edu)  \nAbstract  \nEsophageal motility arises from the continuous coupling between enteric neural activity and the organ’s mechanical response, yet the structure of this coupling remains poorly understood. Esophageal motility disorders represent mechanical dysfunctions that originate from abnormalities in neural control, underscoring the need to understand how neural and mechanical processes interact to produce coordinated motion. We present an empirically guided neuromechanical model of the esophagus, comprising unidirectionally coupled relaxation oscillators activated by intrinsic enteric nervous system mechanoreceptors sensitive to wall distension. The model reveals complex behaviors emerging from interactions among its components, predicting various clinically observed normal and abnormal esophageal responses to distension. Specifically, repetitive antegrade contractions (RACs) are shown to arise from the coupled neuromechanical dynamics in response to sustained volumetric distension. Normal RACs are shown to have a robust balance between excitatory and inhibitory neural activities and mechanical input through these intrinsic distension-sensitive mechanoreceptors. When this balance is affected, contraction patterns resembling motility disorders emerge. For example, clinically observed repetitive retrograde contractions emerge due to hypersensitive mechanoreceptors in the esophageal wall. Such neuromechanical insights may ultimately guide the development of targeted pharmacological interventions.  \nAuthor summary  \nThe esophagus moves food and liquid to the stomach through waves of muscle contraction that are controlled by the neurons in esophageal walls. Problems in this process are known as esophageal motility disorders. The way neural signals  \nPLOS Computational Biology  [https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1013778](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1013778) December 26, 2025 1/ 24  \ngenerate the data presented in this paper are available in the public repository in the following link: [https://github.com/](https://github.com/)[ ](https://github.com/)[elishaguy/esophagus-neuromech](elishaguy/esophagus-neuromech.)[.](elishaguy/esophagus-neuromech.)  \nFund","cbCaidmnDsAEDLP5","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaidmnDsAEDLP5","pdf",3771044,24,"English","# Abstract\n## Introduction\n## Author summary\n## Funding and competing interests","[{\"question\":\"What is the key goal of the neuromechanical model in this study?\",\"answer\":\"To clarify how enteric neural activity couples to esophageal mechanical response, explaining coordinated motion and disorder-like behaviors during distension.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the model generate repetitive antegrade contractions?\",\"answer\":\"Repetitive antegrade contractions arise from coupled neuromechanical dynamics in response to sustained volumetric distension.\"},{\"question\":\"What causes contraction patterns resembling motility disorders in the model?\",\"answer\":\"Altering the balance between excitatory and inhibitory neural activities or changing mechanoreceptor sensitivity—e.g., hypersensitivity leading to repetitive retrograde contractions—can produce disorder-like patterns.\"}]","Modeling based insights into mechanical dysfunction in esophageal motility disorders - Research article | PDF",1790745109]