Dichotomizing somatic nerve fibers exist in rats but they are rare.
Electrophysiological methods that resolve problems of current spread were used to reinvestigate recent claims that over 40% of myelinated afferent neurons in rats have dichotomizing axons in which branches are maintained in two separate hindlimb nerves. Out of a sample of about 6400 axons recorded in rat hindlimb nerves including 3641 myelinated afferents, 14 axons were found to have a branch in both the sciatic nerve and a second somatic nerve. Examples were found of dichotomizing myelinated afferents, myelinated efferents and unmyelinated afferents.
D000818:Animals; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000294:innervation*; D008297:Male; D009431:Neural Conduction; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000166:cytology; D051381:Rats; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D013127:Spinal Nerves / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology