Liver and Nervous System: (103 Falk Symposium)

The liver occupies a strategic position in the circulation; it is the first organ to come into contact with absorbed nutrients. Therefore it functions as a major sensor of substrate, electrolyte and water input into the organism and reports this information via sensory, afferent nerves to the brain and thence via efferent nerves to other peripheral organs. The liver is also a major effector organ with a key role in maintaining whole body homeostasis. It processes energy fuels, transforms xenobiotics, synthesizes and degrades important compounds in the organism. This effector function is controlled by a complex network of humoral signal substances and effectory, efferent nerves. While the understanding of the role of hepatic afferent and efferent nerves for the function of the liver and the coordination of many other organs is still in its infancy, cerebral and autonomic nervous dysfunction accompanying various forms of liver disease have long been known. This book, the proceedings of the Falk Symposium No. 103 held in Freiburg, Germany, on 4-5th October 1997, summarizes current knowledge on the interaction between the liver and the nervous system under physiological and pathophysiological conditions.

Table of Contents:
Preface. 1. Hepatic Parasympathetic Nerves and Glucose Metabolism; W.W. Laut. Section I: Liver Innervation. 2. Peripheral and Central, Functional Neuroanatomy of Sensory and Motor Innervation of the Portal-Hepatic Axis and Biliary System; H.-R. Berthoud, W.L. Neuhuber. 3. Innervation of the Transplanted liver in Diseased States and Following Transplantation; A.D. Burt. 4. Peptidergic Innervation of the Liver; E. Fehér. Section II: Functions of Efferent Nerves. 5. Role of Hepatic Nerves in the Control of Normoglycemia; A.B. Steffens, et al. 6. Galanin in Sympathetic Nerves of Dog Liver: Effects of 6-Hydroxydopamine; G.J. Taborsky, et al. 7. Role of Prostanoids in the Metabolic and Hemodynamic Actions of Sympathetic Liver Nerves; G.P. Püschel, et al. 8. The Role of Lipid and Peptide Mediators in Interhepatic Cell-to-Cell Communication: Regulation of iNOS Expression in Kupffer Cells; S.B. Mustafa, et al. 9. The Role of Osmolytes in Intrahepatic Cell-Cell Communication; S. vom Dahl, et al. 10. Functions of Hepatic Gap Junctions Analyzed in Connexin32 Deficient Mice; K. Willecke, et al. 11. Hypothalamic Control of Liver, Muscle and Adipose Tissue Metabolism; T. Shimazu. 12. The Role of Cholinergic Neurons in the CNS on Glucoregulation; A. Iguchi. 13. Role of Central Opiates, Glutamate and Catecholamines in Modulating Glucose and Protein Metabolism; N.N. Abumrad, P.E. Molina. Section III: Functions of Afferent Nerves. 14. An Electrophysiological Study on Hepato-Visceral Reflex: The Role Played by Vagal Hepatic Afferents from Chemosensors in the Hepato-Portal Region; A. Niijima. 15. Role of the Nervous System in the Control of Net Hepatic Glucose Uptake in Vivo; M.C. Moore, A.D. Cherrington. 16. Role of Intrahepatic Muscarinic Nerves in the Control of Net Glucose Uptake by the Liver; K. Jungermann, et al. 17. Role of Hepatic Afferent Nerves in the Control of Food Intake; W. Langhans. 18. Role of Hepatic Afferent Nerves in the Control of Saline and Water Intake; A. Adachi, M. Kobashi. 19. Hepatic Sensing in the Control of Food Intake: Unresolved Issues; M.I. Friedman, et al. 20. The Influence of Oronasal Stimulation and Hepatic Afferents on Hypothalamic Control of Food Intake; M.M. Meguid, S. Fetissov. Section IV: Direct and Indirect Organ-Organ Interactions. 21. Regulation by Enterohepatic and Hepatoenteral Nerves of Hepatic Glucose Uptake and Intestinal Carbohydrate Adsorption; F. Stümpel, et al. 22. Functional Cooperation of Liver and Kidney and the Generation of Hepatorenal Syndrome; F. Lang, et al. 23. Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase Activating Polypeptide (PACAP): A Neuromodulator in the Pancreas, Liver and Adrenals; N. Yamaguchi, et al. 24. Ammonia and Astrocyte Function; M.D. Norenberg, et al. Section V: Nervous System In Liver Disease. 25. Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) in Chronic Liver Disease; J.H. Henriksen, et al. 26. Reflex Regulation of Renal Sympathetic Nerve Activity in Cirrhosis; G.F. DiBona. 27. Regulation of the Osmotic Set Point of Vasopressin in Cirrhosis; P.-Y. Martin. 28. Osmoregulation of Hepatic Metabolism; D. Häussinger. 29. Autonomic Dysfunction and Liver Disease; T. Frieling, et al. 30. Pathogenesis of Hepatic Encephalopathy; R.F. Butterworth. 32. Circadian Rhythms and Liver Disease; A.T. Blei, P. Zee. 33. Wilson Disease Epidemiology and Molecular Biology; P. Ferenci. 34. Neurological Manifestations in Wilson's Disease; H. Hefter. Index.