Reinnervation of a single vibrissa after nerve excision in the adult rat.
After a survival time of 180 days following the excision of a 2 mm segment of the vibrissal nerve to the gamma straddler vibrissa in the adult rat, a retrograde fluorescent single-labelling experiment revealed that 46% of the injured vibrissal sensory neurones had regenerated their peripheral processes. Peripheral collateral sprouting was not involved in the reinnervation of the denervated gamma vibrissa, as proved by a retrograde fluorescent double-labelling experiment. The regenerating nerve fibres did not invade the intact neighbouring vibrissae of the gamma vibrissa, and the sensory nerve fibres of the intact vibrissae were not translocated to the denervated gamma vibrissa. Thus, the sensory function of the denervated gamma vibrissa was restored exclusively by the regeneration of the damaged vibrissal nerve.
Páli
Jeno
J
Neurobiology Research Group, United Research Organization of the Hungarian Acadamy of Sciences and Semmelweis University, Tüzoltó, Budapest, Hungary. pali@ana.sote.hu
Négyessy
László
L
D000818:Animals; D019771:Axotomy; D002452:Cell Count; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008297:Male; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D059348:Peripheral Nerve Injuries; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D012668:Trigeminal Ganglion / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology
D005456:Fluorescent Dyes