Numbers of rat dorsal root axons and ganglion cells during postnatal development

Claire E. Hulsebosch, Richard E. Coggeshall, Kyungsoon Chung

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

46 Scopus citations

Abstract

The present study demonstrates that T4 and S2 rat dorsal root axons decrease significantly from birth to adulthood with almost all of the decrease occurring in the first two weeks of life. Dorsal root ganglion cell numbers do not change during this time period. This is thus an example of postnatal axon elimination not associated with death of the cells that give rise to the axons. Presumably this regressive process is important in the formation of the normal adult nervous system. In addition, these findings raise the possibility that certain types of neonatal denervation may increase adult axon numbers by stopping a regressive process, the loss of axons, rather than initiating a progressive process, the formation of new axons.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)105-113
Number of pages9
JournalDevelopmental Brain Research
Volume26
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1986

Keywords

  • axon loss
  • dorsal root
  • postnatal

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Developmental Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Numbers of rat dorsal root axons and ganglion cells during postnatal development'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this