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Preliminary Evidence for Cholinoceptive Sites in the Excitability of Spermatozoa

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Abstract

THE spermatozoa of a variety of species respond to mechanical stimuli and to other physical and chemical alterations in the environment by changing speed and pattern of movement, amplitude, frequency and length of the flagellar wave, as well as membrane potential1–4. The propagation of the flagellar wave thus cannot be attributed entirely to an autonomous oscillator, but must be influenced in a “neurochemical” fashion analogous to smooth muscle control systems.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, Medical College of Ohio, Toledo, Ohio, 43614

    LEONARD NELSON

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  1. LEONARD NELSON
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NELSON, L. Preliminary Evidence for Cholinoceptive Sites in the Excitability of Spermatozoa. Nature 242, 401–402 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/242401a0

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