A network of nerves and neuron cell bodies embedded in the wall of the gastrointestinal tract, forming part of the enteric nervous system. Also called Auerbach’s plexus, it lies between the muscle layers of the gut and coordinates peristalsis: the wave-like contractions that propel food along the digestive tract. Sensory neurons detect the presence and stretch of food, while motor neurons instruct the circular and longitudinal muscles when to contract. This local control system, sometimes called the second brain, operates with considerable independence from the central nervous system. Disorders of the myenteric plexus contribute to motility problems such as pseudoobstruction.