[Quantitative morphologic characteristics of neurons of the sensory nuclei of the trigeminal nerve developing after...

Five types of neurons were studied in the sensory nuclei of the trigeminal nerve stained by the Golgi method in kittens aged 30 days with bilateral transection of the lingual branches of trigeminal nerve made on the fifth postnatal day. Partial deafferentation resulted in changes of dendrite apparatus of reticular, arborescent and bushy neurons (68.61 and 48% of neurons changed). Short-dendritic cells changed slightly. The multipolar giant neurons underwent practically no changes. All the changes could be divided into two groups: destructive changes and constructive changes. The destructive changes consisted in the decrease of cell body sizes, number, length and ramification of dendrites and constructive changes--in the increase of these parameters. Various types of trigeminal neurons responded to deafferentiation in different ways. Bushy neurons displayed mainly destructive changes and reticular and arborescent neurons--both destructive and constructive ones.