Short internodal lengths of canine tooth pulp axons in the young adult cat.

Light-microscopical measurements have been made on teased pulpal nerve fibers from young adult cat canine teeth. In the root canal portion (apical to first branching point) the mean internodal length was approximately 250 micron. In the pulpal chamber portion (coronal to the first branching point) the pulpal nerve fibers had a mean internodal length of approximately 125 micron. A local decrease in internodal length was evident at bifurcations and in preterminal regions. These internodal lengths are shorter than in similarly sized stem axons. The possible functional significance of this difference is discussed.