Summary
In the course of postnatal development in the cat, there is a decrease of about 93% in the total number of synaptic bodies (synaptic balls and synaptic bars) in type I hair cells. In type II hair cells, there is no change in the number of synaptic balls. Simultaneously, the length of specialized neuroepithelial contact increases by approximately 300% during type I hair cell maturation. Only the synaptic bars displaying a polylamellar ultrastructure persist in the type I hair cells of the adult animal. It is suggested that the afferent vestibular synapses of the type I hair cell are transformed during ontogeny.
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Favre, D., Sans, A. Morphological changes in afferent vestibular hair cell synapses during the postnatal development of the cat. J Neurocytol 8, 765–775 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01206675
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01206675