Muscle contractions that occur in the tubular organs of the human body are known as peristalsis , according to the United States National Library of Medicine. This includes the digestive system and also the urinary system, where tube-like structures carry substances.
Peristalsis contractions are organized and rhythmic. They have a frequency that is considered normal and are carried out through the smooth muscle present in the walls of the tubular organs.
Smooth muscle has the characteristic of being autonomous, that is, involuntary. We cannot give conscious orders to this muscle to contract, but it depends exclusively on cerebral orders on which we do not decide when or how.
When the brain receives information about the presence of a food in the digestive tract, it sends the order to the smooth muscle of the organs involved to carry out certain movements. These movements generate the movement of food from the mouth to the anus.
The same mechanism also applies to the urinary system. When the brain detects the presence of urine produced by the kidneys, it sends information for the ureters to transport it to the bladder through peristalsis.
We could say, then, that there are three main actions of peristaltic movements:
Propel food into the digestive system
Circulate bile in the liver system, which is part of the digestive system
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