REINNERVATION OF NICTITATING MEMBRANE OF CAT BY CHOLINERGIC FIBERS

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Abstract
The normal postganglionic adrenergic innervation of the nictitating membrane was replaced by somatomotor fibers of the hypoglossal nerve. Sixty-five days after operation stimulation of the hypoglossal nerve resulted in a contraction of the nictitating membrane which was abolished by atropine and not by d-tubocurarine. The hypersensitivity of the nictitating membrane to epinephrine disappeared after this reinnervation. The fatiguability of this preparation was similar to that of a somatomotor or ganglionic synapse and the maximal intensity was obtained at other frequencies than in most neuro-effector preparations. The hypoglossal nerve fibers which invaded the peripheral stump of the postganglionic sympathetic developed a fairly thick myelin sheath. When they came into contact with the smooth muscle of the nictitating membrane they lost their meylin and built a terminal plexus with morphological similarities to the normal sympathetic nerve plexus.

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