A peripheral stimulus initiates the collateral reinnervation of cat teeth

The ability of trigeminal nerve fibres to sprout across the midline into the pulps of denervated contralateral teeth has been examined after removing their central terminals by rhizotomy. An extensive transmedian reinnervation developed from fibres on the side of the rhizotomy suggesting that the stimulus for collateral reinnervation must be sited in the tissues peripherally.