PERSISTENT ADRENERGIC REINNERVATION OF PREVIOUSLY DENERVATED MUSCLE IN CAT

Synapse formation by aberrant nerves at chronically denervated intrins ic laryngeal muscles was observed even at 21 months after the transect ion of the recurrent laryngeal nerve in cats. Some of the aberrant ner ves were adrenergic, and these nerve terminals were in synaptic contac t with the postsynaptic membrane of the neuromuscular junctions togeth er with non-adrenergic nerve terminals. Therefore, heterogeneous reinn ervation between adrenergic nerve and muscle was found to be maintaine d for a long time.