Spectroscopic and photometric observations are used to determine the distributions of gas and the kinematics in the central zones of a number of spirals. In addition to a ring structure in the gas, there is often found a measurable expansion with high radial velocity near the nucleus. A significant correlation is noted between the absence of central gas and the size of the nuclear bulge of a galaxy, with the Sa and Sb galaxies having lower ratios of gas to stars than the Sc and Sd galaxies. It is suggested that radially progressive bursts of star formation can account for many of the observations and may be related to the presence of LINERs.