Abstract
PREVIOUS investigations have shown that a variety of sensory receptors can be stimulated by the application of acetylcholine1, this sensitivity being enhanced in mechanoreceptors by the addition of 10−5 g/ml. physostigmine. Excitation by acetylcholine was blocked by tubocurarine or hexamethonium (10−7–10−5 g/ml.)2, but the response of the receptor to normal mechanical stimuli was unaffected by the presence of these blocking agents1,2, and Gray and Diamond conclude, therefore, that acetylcholine has no physiological function as an intermediary in the initiation of nerve impulses at sensory receptors1. Landgren et al.3, applying drugs to the surface of the frog's tongue, found, however, that high concentrations of anticholinesterases initially increased the spontaneous activity in the lingual nerve and afterwards blocked taste sensitivity. Tubocurarine also reduced the response of the taste buds to gustatory stimuli and these authors suggest that acetylcholine is concerned with the initiation of impulses at chemoreceptors.
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References
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DUNCAN, C. Synaptic Transmission at Taste Buds. Nature 203, 875–876 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1038/203875a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/203875a0
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