Impulse blockade in frog cardiac ganglion does not resemble partial denervation in changing synaptic organization

Partial denervation of parasympathetic neurons in the frog heart by surgical section of one vagus nerve results in a marked reorganization of functional synaptic connections made by the remaining vagus nerve. These changes are not simply due to a lack of impulse activity per se in the sectioned nerve because blockage of impulses in one vagus with tetrodotoxin-impregnated cuffs did not cause similar changes in the innervation pattern of the ganglion. Furthermore, tetrodotoxin-blocked vagal fibers retain their ability to sprout and can form new synapses on denervated neurons.