[Histochemical and ultrastructural proofs of heart innervation of Protopterus annectens (Dipneust, fishes)].

The identification of an extrinsic cardiac innervation in Protopterus has been reported for the first time. It has been based on histological, histochemical and ultrastructural methods. The heart of Protopterus receives a rich cholinergic parasympathic innervation which ramifies in the atria and the ventricle. The induced fluorescence did'nt permit us to detect any mono-aminergic fibres ; meanwhile this method has enabled us to distinguish a particular type of cells containing catecholamines in the heart.