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Trophic regulation of nerve cell morphology and innervation in the autonomic nervous system

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Abstract

A remarkable feature of nerve cells is the complex and variable pattern of their axonal and dendritic branches. Quantitative studies of a simple part of the nervous system in mammals provide evidence that neuronal geometry and innervation are regulated by long-term trophic interactions between neurons and their targets. This trophic linkage may explain how nerve cells adjust their function to the needs of bodies that vary markedly in size and form.

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Author notes

  1. William D. Snider: Departments of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri, 63110, USA

    Dale Purves, William D. Snider & James T. Voyvodic

Authors
  1. Dale Purves
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  2. William D. Snider
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  3. James T. Voyvodic
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Purves, D., Snider, W. & Voyvodic, J. Trophic regulation of nerve cell morphology and innervation in the autonomic nervous system. Nature 336, 123–128 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/336123a0

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