Sensory Axons
Sensory Axons - Related Videos
02:56
Electroporation-Mediated Transfection of Mouse Dorsal Root Ganglia to Promote Sensory Axon Regeneration
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2025
Source: Li, Q. et al. Investigating Mammalian Axon Regeneration: In Vivo Electroporation of Adult Mouse Dorsal Root Ganglion. J. Vis. Exp. (2018)This video demonstrates electroporation-mediated transfection of mouse DRG neurons to study axon regeneration. It outlines the steps for delivering nucleic acid constructs to DRG neurons, inducing sciatic nerve injury, and assessing axonal regeneration.
06:32
Quadruple Immunostaining of the Olfactory Bulb for Visualization of Olfactory Sensory Axon Molecular Identity Codes
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2017
Olfactory sensory neurons express a wide variety of axon-sorting molecules to establish proper neural circuitry. This protocol describes an immunohistochemical staining method to visualize combinatorial expressions of axon-sorting molecules at the axon termini of olfactory sensory neurons.
07:51
Intravital Two-Photon Imaging of Touch Sensory Axon Morphology in Mouse Skin
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2025
This study presents an in vivo two-photon imaging approach for visualizing the structures of low-threshold mechanoreceptor (LTMR) axon terminals in the forepaw skin of mice. Using repeated, high-resolution imaging of individual axons, this method provides a new platform for studying the structure and function of the cutaneous sensory circuit during development and in adults.
09:48
Dorsal Root Ganglion Injection and Dorsal Root Crush Injury as a Model for Sensory Axon Regeneration
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Cited by 9 •
2017
This protocol presents the use of a dorsal root ganglion (DRG) injection with a viral vector and a concurrent dorsal root crush injury in an adult rat as a model to study sensory axon regeneration. This model is suitable for investigating the use of gene therapy to promote sensory axon regeneration.
08:37
Whole-mount Imaging of Mouse Embryo Sensory Axon Projections
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2014
We present here an optimized protocol to genotype, stain and prepare fetal mice for the imaging of peripheral nociceptor axon projections in the whole animal, as an effective method to assess sensory axon growth phenotypes in developing genetically engineered mice.
FAQs
At a sensory axon terminal, a mechanical, thermal, or chemical stimulus changes ion-channel activity and therefore the membrane potential. If depolarization reaches threshold, an action potential is initiated and travels toward the spinal cord or brain. This sequence converts a local environmental or bodily change into a neural signal for later synaptic processing.
Conduction along sensory axons matters because information must reach the central nervous system after initiation at a peripheral ending. Studying this conduction alongside axon structure can reveal how these pathways support signals associated with touch, pain, temperature, and body position. The resulting neural input can contribute either to conscious perception or to a rapid reflex response.
Connectivity adds a circuit-level perspective that terminal signaling alone cannot provide. Sensory axons deliver activity to the spinal cord or brain, where synaptic signaling determines how incoming information participates in perception and reflexes. Examining these connections helps relate a peripheral stimulus to its central consequence, rather than treating sensory signaling as an isolated electrical event.
An analysis of sensory axons can be organized around three linked features: their structure, how signals conduct along them, and where they connect in the central nervous system. Researchers can then relate those features to functions such as touch or pain and to outcomes such as perception or reflexes. This framework connects peripheral events to circuit behavior.
Comparing normal sensory axon function with altered structure, conduction, or connectivity can help investigate peripheral neuropathy and pain. The comparison provides a basis for asking whether a sensory pathway is affected during signal initiation, transmission, or central processing. Because these analyses also inform targeted-therapy research, they can help connect abnormal sensation with possible intervention strategies.
Understanding how sensory axons carry information toward the central nervous system informs work on neural repair and prosthetics, while pathway-specific knowledge supports research on targeted therapies. Its broader value lies in connecting cellular signaling with usable sensory function, including signals that contribute to body position, touch, pain, and temperature. These links make sensory pathways relevant to both basic and applied neuroscience.