Auerbach Plexus

Auerbach’s plexus, also known by the name of myenteric plexus, is a group of ganglia that run throughout the entire gastrointestinal tract and innervate its multiple layers of smooth muscle. This collection of nerves is sandwiched between two layers of the muscularis externa, the inner circular muscle layer, and the outer longitudinal muscle. Combined with another set of nerves, the submucosal (Meissner’s) plexus, they make up the enteric nervous system. The myenteric plexus is principally responsible for the peristaltic movement of the bowels. While it can act independently from the central nervous system, it receives innervation from the autonomic nervous system, connecting the central and enteric nervous systems. The dysfunction of this structure is the etiology underlying several disorders, including Hirschsprung disease, achalasia, and gastroparesis. The myenteric plexus is also the target of mu receptor opioids ¹⁾.