Elsevier, Neuroscience Letters, 3(90), p. 248-253
DOI: 10.1016/0304-3940(88)90197-8
Full text: Unavailable
The innervation area of nociceptive C-fibers in the saphenous nerve of adult rats was detected by the Evans blue technique, in which antidromic excitation of the nociceptive C-fibers causes a visible extravasation of dye in the skin it supplied. One month after cutting the sciatic nerve, the nociceptive C-fibers of the intact saphenous nerve had sprouted to the sciatic area. When capsaicin was locally applied to the nerve trunk to destroy C-fibers of the sciatic nerve, there was no sprouting of nociceptive C-fibers from the saphenous nerve. Thus, myelinated fibers and/or the functionally impaired C-fibers of the sciatic nerve are enough to prevent collateral sprouting of nociceptive C-fibers from the saphenous nerve.