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Vagal innervation of the air sacs in a songbird, Taenopygia guttata

Vagal innervation of the air sacs in a songbird, Taenopygia guttata The air sacs of birds are thin‐walled chambers connected to the lung that act as bellows in the ventilatory mechanism. Physiological evidence exists to suggest that they may contain receptors that are innervated by the vagus nerve, but no morphological study has examined the vagal innervation of these putative structures. To do this, we injected the cervical vagus nerve with choleragenoid and examined the innervation of the air sacs using light and confocal microscopy. We identified vagally innervated structures in the air sac wall that resemble the neuroepithelial bodies (NEBs) described in the airways of many vertebrates. Although NEBs have been proposed to have a dual chemoreceptive and mechanoreceptive role, their specific function in the air sacs of birds remains unclear. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Anatomy Wiley

Vagal innervation of the air sacs in a songbird, Taenopygia guttata

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References (56)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company
ISSN
0021-8782
eISSN
1469-7580
DOI
10.1111/j.0021-8782.2004.00286.x
pmid
15061754
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The air sacs of birds are thin‐walled chambers connected to the lung that act as bellows in the ventilatory mechanism. Physiological evidence exists to suggest that they may contain receptors that are innervated by the vagus nerve, but no morphological study has examined the vagal innervation of these putative structures. To do this, we injected the cervical vagus nerve with choleragenoid and examined the innervation of the air sacs using light and confocal microscopy. We identified vagally innervated structures in the air sac wall that resemble the neuroepithelial bodies (NEBs) described in the airways of many vertebrates. Although NEBs have been proposed to have a dual chemoreceptive and mechanoreceptive role, their specific function in the air sacs of birds remains unclear.

Journal

Journal of AnatomyWiley

Published: Apr 1, 2004

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