Twenty-four hour high-resolution colonic manometry plots in a female healthy control (A) and in a female patient with a defecation disorder (B). The plots are spatiotemporal maps of antegrade (green) and retrograde (red) colonic propagating contractions. In (A), the high amplitude propagating contractions (HAPCs) are clearly seen before defecation and on awakening in the morning. In comparison, the propagated motor patterns in patients with defecation disorders (B) show an increased frequency of low-amplitude antegrade and retrograde propagating sequences, with a reduced frequency of HAPC. Furthermore, in (B), no nocturnal suppression of contractile activity nor colonic responses to a high-calorie meal are seen. Adapted with permission from reference 49