VPT 321: Veterinary Neuropharmacology (2+1) copy 1

ADRENERGIC PHARMACOLOGY

• Adrenergic neurons in the periphery are postganglionic sympathetic neurons whose cell bodies lie in sympathetic ganglia.
• They generally have long axons which end in a series of varicosities strung along the branching terminal network.
• These varicosities contain numerous synaptic vesicles, which are absent in other parts of the neuron and they represent the sites of synthesis and release of nerepinephrine.
• The synaptic vesicles of adrenergic neurons are larger and more granular than in other neurons, and these large electron-dense core vesicles are the storage organelles for catecholamines, which are released by exocytosis.