title: Innervation of cholinergic vestibular efferent system in vestibular periphery of rats.
abstract: The innervation of cholinergic efferent fibers in the vestibular endorgans of the rats was investigated using a modified preembedding immunostaining technique of immunoelectron microscopy. A monoclonal antibody to choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) was used as a marker of cholinergic fibers. It was found that there were four types of cholinergic innervation in the vestibular endorgans of the rat: (1) cholinergic nerve endings formed axo-dendritic synapses with afferent chalice surrounding the type I sensory hair cells; (2) cholinergic nerve endings formed axo-somatic synapses with type II hair cells; (3) cholinergic fibers synapse with afferent nerve fibers and (4) a synaptic contact developed between cholinergic nerve endings. The results demonstrated that a multiform innervation of the cholinergic efferents exists in the rats vestibular periphery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Xiehe Hospital, Tongji Medical University, Wuhan.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Egg
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schrott-Fischer
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hussl
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002799:Cholinergic Fibers / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009476:Neurons, Efferent / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D014725:Vestibular Nerve / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D000109:Acetylcholine