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Postnatal development of ganglionic neurons in the absence of preganglionic input: Morphological observations on synapse formation
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Postnatal development of ganglionic neurons in the absence of preganglionic input: Morphological observations on synapse formation

Arnold J. Smolen
Brain research. Developmental brain research, v 1(1), pp 49-58
1981
PMID: 7470933

Abstract

development electron microscopy rat regeneration sympathetic ganglion synaptogenesis
Synapse formation during postnatal development of the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion was studied in rats after neonatal ganglionic denervation, when reinnervation was either permitted or prevented. In both groups of operated animals, 90% of the synapses were lost by the fourth postoperative day. In the rats in which reinnvervation was permitted, restoration of synapse numbers began by one month after surgery and reached 50% of control by two months. There was no further synapse restoration after this time. In the animals in which reinnervation was prevented, synapse numbers increased, but at all times were approximately 10% of controls. Thus the intrinsic ganglionic synapses underwent their normal postnatal developmental increase in number, but did not sprout to any significant degree in response to the massive deafferentation caused by removal of the preganglionic input. Vacant postsynaptic membrane thickenings (those not apposed by presynaptic terminals) appeared in both experimental groups. There was no significant loss of these vacant thickenings in either group over the course of 3 months. Therefore, the vacated postsynaptic sites do not appear to be recontacted during reinnervation, while the reinnvervating axons appear to cause the formation of new postsynaptic sites on the ganglion cells.

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Developmental Biology
Neurosciences
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