Changes of the peripheral autonomic nervous system in altered internal environment

The effect of indirect reversible or irreversible environmental changes of a target organ on its innervation and the adaptation capacity and mechanisms of the peripheral autonomic nervous system were studied in experimental models such as acute and chronic CCl4 poisoning, ligature of the common bile duct and partial hepatectomy. Organospecific changes were found to be accompanied by characteristic changes of the peripheral autonomic nervous system. In the acute, tissue-destructive stage innervation is impaired. The liver possessing a reduced number of nerve fibres responds to noradrenaline with a reaction different from denervation hypersensitivity. This impaired innervation was termed as neurally desaturated. In the compensated phase of organospecific changes the transformed tissue functional units acquire a newly formed innervation. Adaptation of nerves happens by changes in innervation pattern and the amount of fibres. It is concluded that the experimentally altered internal environment transforms the target organ, which, in turn, can be regulated only by an adequately altered control unit. This latter, the peripheral autonomic nervous system, carries out this alteration by the formation of new nerves the growth of which is not guided by a preformed Schwann-cell network.