Abstract
CONSIDERABLE evidence has been advanced to support the view that the reinnervation of adult mammalian autonomic neurones is specific1–4. Moreover, although foreign nerve fibres by themselves readily form synaptic connections with denervated ganglion cells5–11, when native fibres are also present their terminals are thought to be preferred to foreign axon terminals, which are eventually rejected4. I have re-examined the ability of neurones in the mammalian superior cervical ganglion (SCG) to select between native and foreign nerve fibres during reinnervation using the technique of intracellular recording. An unexpected result was that many neurones were initially reinnervated by both native and foreign nerves, and retained their dual innervation for at least 10 months.
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PURVES, D. Persistent innervation of mammalian sympathetic neurones by native and foreign fibres. Nature 256, 589–590 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/256589a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/256589a0
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