Fine structure at the cut ends following section of the sensory component of the vagus nerve of mice.

The fine structures at the cut ends following section of the sensory component of the midcervical vagus nerve of mice were examined. No changes were found in the fine structure of the neurons in the nodose ganglion or in that of the axons in the midcervical vagus nerve 14 d after supranodose vagotomy. After supranodose vagotomy followed 14 d later by midcervical vagotomy, the dilated axons present in the vicinity of the cut contained clear vesicles with a mean diameter of 69 nm and dense-cored vesicles with a mean diameter of 78 nm, vesiculotubular membranous structures, smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER), mitochondria, multivesicular bodies, dense bodies, neurofilaments, and microtubules. The similarity between sensory axons interrupted by cutting and the presynaptic terminals of sensory neurons is discussed.