A 58-year-old female presents with a 3-year history of progressive dysphagia to solids and liquids equally, postprandial regurgitation of undigested food, and 12 kg unintentional weight loss. Barium swallow shows a dilated esophagus with a "bird's beak" appearance at the gastroesophageal junction. High-resolution esophageal manometry (HRM) is performed and demonstrates the findings shown in the diagram. The structure marked **A** in the manometry tracing demonstrates absent peristalsis in all 10 test swallows. Which of the following best explains the pathophysiologic basis for this finding?
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