Histophysiology of the vegetative peripheral nervous system of skin

Abstract

Preterminal nerve fibers of the peripheral vegetative nervous system make inmediate contact (neuro-effector-areas) to interstitial cells (I.C.). This connection is characterized through a common glycocalyx with the nerve fiber. The I.C. are specific innervated cells and differ morphologically from Schwann-cells, fibrocytes, and histiocytes. The I.C. are able to come into morphologically different contacts with neighbouring cells by microvilli-like cell protrusions. These neighbouring cells then are able to contact other cells by themselves. The results are interpreted in the sense of electro-mechanical feed-back system of information processing in the vegetative periphery.