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Updated: Jan 25, 2026

Functional and Morphological Assessment of Diaphragm Innervation by Phrenic Motor Neurons
Published on: May 25, 2015
Purinergic receptor expression and function in rat vagal sensory neurons innervating the stomach
Emily N Blanke1, Salvatore L Stella1, Victor Ruiz-Velasco2
1Department of Neural & Behavioral Sciences, Penn State University College of Medicine, 500 University Dr., MC H109, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA.
Abstract:
The nodose ganglion (NG) is the main parasympathetic ganglion conveying sensory signals to the CNS from numerous visceral organs including digestive signals such as gastric distension or the release the gastrointestinal peptides. The response characteristics of NG neurons to ATP and ADP and pharmacological interrogation of purinergic receptor subtypes have been previously investigated but often in NG cells of undetermined visceral origin. In this study, we confirmed the presence of P2X3 and P2Y1 receptors and characterized P2X and P2Y responses in gastric-innervating NG neurons. Application of ATP-evoked large inward currents and cytosolic Ca2+ increases in gastric-innervating NG neurons. Despite the expression of P2Y1 receptors, ADP elicited only minor modulation of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. Considering the sensitivity of NG neurons to comorbidities associated with disease or neural injury, purinergic modulation of gastric NG neurons in disease- or injury-states is worthy of further investigation.
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