Figure 2.

Schematic representation of the enteric nervous system (ENS) in the intestine. The myenteric plexus (Auerbach plexus) lies within the longitudinal and the circular muscle layer, whereas the submucosal plexus (Meissner plexus) is located below the circular muscle layer. The transverse view of the intestinal wall shows the cellular composition of the ENS including neurons and glial cells. The innervation of the ENS is classified as intrinsic, if the neuron's cell body lies within the intestinal wall and extrinsic, if the cell body of the neuron is located outside the intestinal wall.