Supersensitivity-like phenomena in the central nervous system

Abstract

The are numerous supersensitivity-like changes in the central nervous system associated with denervation and disuse. There is little evidence, however, for increases in postjunctional sensitivity exactly parallel to that which occurs in disused effector organs. As we learn more about the mechanisms responsible for supersensitivity in effector organs, it becomes evident that the operation of such mechanisms in neurons may have reverberations in all spheres of cellular function, including transmitter release and energy control as well as receptor function.