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Open research questions in Gastrointestinal motility and disorders

642 gap statements mined from Gastrointestinal motility and disorders papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 2,915 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • The lack of prospective studies with standardized diagnostic criteria for opioid-induced constipation. The potential for outcome misclassification and bias in retrospective studies. The need for accurate documentation of symptom onset and accounting for prophylactic bowel regimens.

    Comments on the “Prevalence of opioid‑induced constipation in the emergency department” · 2026 · DOI

  • One challenge is the limited therapeutic options for IBS-D. Another challenge is the suboptimal results of current treatments for IBS-D. The study also faces the challenge of evaluating the safety and tolerability of agomelatine in patients with IBS-D.

    Agomelatine improves symptom severity and quality of life in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome: insights from a randomized controlled clinical trial · 2026 · DOI

  • The study used a limited number of animals (n = 6 or n = 7). The study only evaluated the effects of IRT in rats. The study did not investigate the long-term effects of IRT.

    Irinotecan induces intestinal atrophy and compromises duodenal motility and mucosal permeability: in vivo and in vitro evaluations · 2026 · DOI

  • Lack of a single clinical symptom to reliably distinguish defecation disorder from other forms of functional constipation. Need for a simplified diagnostic scoring system for defecation disorder. Limited accuracy of prior diagnostic methods.

    Development of a Simplified Clinical Score for Defecation Disorder · 2026 · DOI

  • The need to identify factors related to renal dysfunction in diabetic patients as early as possible. The lack of understanding of the relationship between delayed gastric emptying and renal outcome in diabetic patients.

    Delayed Gastric Emptying Is Associated With Progression to End-Stage Renal Disease in Diabetic Patients With Chronic Upper Gastrointestinal Symptoms · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of reliable predictors of treatment response in FD, especially in relation to distinct symptom clusters, is a challenge. The potential risks and limitations of long-term PPI use, including enhanced intestinal permeability and dysbiosis, are challenges that need to be addressed.

    Acid-Lowering Agents in Functional Dyspepsia: Assessing the Role and Effectiveness of Proton Pump Inhibitors and Beyond · 2026 · DOI

  • The current understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of FD is incomplete. The therapeutic benefits of PPIs in FD have traditionally been ascribed solely to the reduction of acid exposure, but the non-acid-suppressive effects of PPIs are not well understood. There is a need for further research to identify reliable predictors of treatment response in FD, especially in relation to distinct symptom clusters.

    Acid-Lowering Agents in Functional Dyspepsia: Assessing the Role and Effectiveness of Proton Pump Inhibitors and Beyond · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of understanding of the psychological predictors of symptom severity in DGBI. The need for a personalized approach to treatment strategies for DGBI. The limited use of machine learning techniques in the study of DGBI.

    Psychological Predictors of Symptom Severity in Disorders of Gut–Brain Interaction: A Machine Learning Approach · 2026 · DOI

  • The pathophysiology of functional dyspepsia is not fully understood. The role of gastrointestinal dysbiosis in the pathophysiology of functional dyspepsia is not well established. There is a need to identify microbial biomarkers differentiating healthy control participants and patients with functional dyspepsia.

    Alterations of Gastric Fluid Microbiota in Functional Dyspepsia and Its Subtypes Including Postprandial Distress Syndrome and Epigastric Pain Syndrome: A Pilot Study · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of objective biomarkers for hEDS and HSD. The clinical overlap between hEDS and HSD. The need for a comprehensive understanding of GI symptoms in patients with HSD/hEDS.

    Unraveling Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome: A Functional and Structural Diagnostic Perspective · 2026 · DOI

  • The research highlights the need for careful alignment of exposure classification and follow-up in analyses using IBS status at reassessment.

    Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Mortality in the Context of Healthcare Use · 2026 · DOI

  • Further studies are needed to investigate sex-related differences in the demographic characteristics and prevalence rates of common comorbidities in patients with IBS. Studies should be conducted to compare sex-based differences in IBS patients from major racial/ethnic groups within one cohort.

    Effects of Sex and Race on Epidemiology and Comorbidities of Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Rome III Era Retrospective Study · 2025 · DOI

  • There is limited knowledge available regarding differences in comorbid conditions between male and female patients with IBS. There is a lack of studies investigating sex-based differences in IBS patients from major racial/ethnic groups within one cohort.

    Effects of Sex and Race on Epidemiology and Comorbidities of Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Rome III Era Retrospective Study · 2025 · DOI

  • SIBO remains underdiagnosed in oncology. There is a lack of studies on the prevalence and impact of SIBO in patients with upper gastrointestinal cancer.

    Prevalence and Impact on Quality of Life of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)-Related Symptoms in Patients with Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer · 2025 · DOI

  • Substantial clinical and methodological heterogeneity, - Limited supporting evidence for laxative use, - No clearly established definition of prophylactic laxative…

    A systematic review of laxative use in critically unwell patients: Are we doing more harm than good? · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research is needed to determine how opioid-sparing strategies can be effectively integrated into ICU practice, - Research into peripherally active mu-opioid receptor antagonists (PAMORAs) remains in the early…

    A systematic review of laxative use in critically unwell patients: Are we doing more harm than good? · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigating the mechanisms of IRT-induced intestinal toxicity. Developing therapeutic strategies to prevent IRT-induced intestinal injury. Evaluating the effects of IRT in other animal models or human subjects.

    Irinotecan induces intestinal atrophy and compromises duodenal motility and mucosal permeability: in vivo and in vitro evaluations · 2026 · DOI

  • Validation of the STRAIN score in other populations, - Comparison of the STRAIN score with other diagnostic…

    Development of a Simplified Clinical Score for Defecation Disorder · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigating the use of other machine learning algorithms for DGBI severity classification, - Examining the impact of adding demographic variables on model performance, - Exploring the application of this approach to other gastrointestinal…

    Psychological Predictors of Symptom Severity in Disorders of Gut–Brain Interaction: A Machine Learning Approach · 2026 · DOI

  • Residual confounding and reverse causation remain possible - Data on cause-specific deaths were unavailable - Proportional hazards diagnostics were not reported - Multiple subgroup analyses, few IBS deaths, and wide confidence intervals make the checkup findings…

    Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Mortality in the Context of Healthcare Use · 2026 · DOI

  • Significant heterogeneity between strains, doses, and duration of treatment, - Limited data on the use of prebiotics for IBD, - Poor methodological quality amongst included…

    Prebiotics and Probiotics for Gastrointestinal Disorders · 2024 · DOI

  • Investigation into the use of prebiotics and probiotics for IBD, - Examination of the effect of prebiotics on the prevention or treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, - Further studies on the strain-specific effects…

    Prebiotics and Probiotics for Gastrointestinal Disorders · 2024 · DOI

  • Investigate the functional significance of the differences in innervation between the proximal and distal colon, - Examine the innervation of the colon in female mice, - Study the development of the innervation…

    The parasympathetic and sensory innervation of the proximal and distal colon in male mice · 2024 · DOI

  • Future prospective studies should incorporate standardized diagnostic criteria for opioid-induced constipation - Future studies should include routine and systematic baseline and follow up bowel assessments - Future studies should include detailed documentation of baseline prophylactic bowel…

    Comments on the “Prevalence of opioid‑induced constipation in the emergency department” · 2026 · DOI

  • Longitudinal or long-term functional studies require more intact preparations, - In-vivo imaging techniques can provide relevant functional…

    Imaging the enteric nervous system · 2025 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Gastrointestinal motility and disorders

Most recent work

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The lack of prospective studies with standardized diagnostic criteria for opioid-induced constipation (“Comments on the “Prevalence of opioid‑induced constipation in the emergency…”, 2026); (2) Lack of a single clinical symptom to reliably distinguish defecation disorder from other forms of functional constipation (“Development of a Simplified Clinical Score for Defecation Disorder”, 2026); (3) The lack of understanding of the relationship between delayed gastric emptying and renal outcome in diabetic patients (“Delayed Gastric Emptying Is Associated With Progression to End-Stage Renal…”, 2026); (4) The lack of reliable predictors of treatment response in FD, especially in relation to distinct symptom clusters, is a challenge (“Acid-Lowering Agents in Functional Dyspepsia: Assessing the Role and…”, 2026); (5) The lack of understanding of the psychological predictors of symptom severity in DGBI (“Psychological Predictors of Symptom Severity in Disorders of Gut–Brain…”, 2026). 642 gap statements have been mined from Gastrointestinal motility and disorders papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 2,915 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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