Abstract
Current physiological and morphological data are consistent with the hypothesis that neurotransmitters are stored in presynaptic organelles, the synaptic vesicles, from which they are released in discrete ‘packets’ or ‘quanta’ upon arrival of a nerve impulse (Katz, 1971). Recent evidence suggests that neurotransmitters may be released not only from nerve terminals but also from dendrites (Geffen et al. , 1976). Biogenic amines, as neurotransmitters, have been implicated in a number of neuroregulatory functions in the brain and in the periphery (Axelrod, 1974; von Euler, 1971). The nature and distribution of storage sites for biogenic amines can be investigated by a variety of cytochemical, cytopharmacological and autoradiographical techniques. These morphological studies provide evidence that fulfills one of the criteria essential for the identification of a given substance as a neurotransmitter, viz its demonstration in well–defined neurons in intact nerve tissue.
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Richards, J.G. (1978). Cytochemistry and Autoradiography in the Search for Transmitter-Specific Neuronal Pathways. In: Coupland, R.E., Forssmann, W.G. (eds) Peripheral Neuroendocrine Interaction. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-66954-5_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-66954-5_1
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