Afferent Activity in the Sinus Nerve of the Rabbit after Regeneration

Abstract

Experiments observing respiratory reflexes or afferent activity in the regenerated sinus nerve when isolated from glomus cells (Kienecker, Knoche and Bingmann, 1978y: Mitchell, Sinha and McDonald, 1972: Smith and Mills, 1979: Verna, Roumy and Leitner, 1975: Zapata, Stensaas and Eyzaguirre, 1976), have failed to agree on the presence or absence of chemosensory activity in the free nerve endings. The first two groups of authors found chemosensory activity in the regenerated sinus nerve and suggested that the nerve endings themselves were chemosensitive and did not need to synapse with type I cells. This does not provide conclusive evidence that the nerve endings are the chemosensors since it is possible that chemosensitive fibres developed synaptic connections with miniglomera which exist along the common carotid artery (Matsuura, 1973).