This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit a related Letter to the Editor Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Copyright Permission Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by SANDE, J. V. Articles by SUNDLER, F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by SANDE, J. V. Articles by SUNDLER, F.

Presence and Influence of Cholinergic Nerves in the Human Thyroid^*

Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, School of Medicine, University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium; and the Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Malmo General Hospital, Malmo, and the Department of Histology, University of Lund Lund, Sweden

Address requests for reprints to: Dr. Arne Melander, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Malmo General Hospital, S-214 01 Malmo, Sweden.

There is evidence that the sympathetic nervous system exerts a control on human thyroid function via an adrenergic innervation of follicle cells. The present study demonstrates that cholinergic nerve fibers also reach follicle cells in the normal human thyroid. In addition, cholinergic agents were found to enhance cGMP accumulation in human thyroid tissue. This effect was blocked by atropine, a muscarinic receptor antagonist, but not by rf-tubocurarine, a nicotinic receptor antagonist. These results provide morphological and biochemical arguments supporting a role of the parasympathetic nervous system in the regulation of thyroid function in man.

^* This work was supported by a grant from the Ministere de la Politique Scientifique (Actions Concertees) and Grant 04X-3880 from the Swedish Medical Research Council.

Received October 2, 1979.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. Van Keymeulen, S. Deleu, J. Bartek, J. E. Dumont, and P. P. Roger Respective Roles of Carbamylcholine and Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate in Their Synergistic Regulation of Cell Cycle in Thyroid Primary Cultures Endocrinology, March 1, 2001; 142(3): 1251 - 1259. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]