174 



PERIPHERAL NERVE TERMINATIONS: END ORGANS 



demonstrated by Sherington (Jour. PhysioL, 1894), who found that they 

 were not affected by the muscular atrophy following section of the pe- 

 ripheral motor neurones, and by Horsley ("Brain," 1897) and others who 

 have found that the muscle spindles are unaffected in cases of extreme 

 muscular atrophy in man. 



3. Neurotendinous End Organs ( Golgi End Organs, Tendon Spin- 

 dles). These organs occur in the tendons of muscles near the junction 

 of the tendon bundles with the muscle fibers. They are fusiform in 

 shape and consist of a thin lamellar capsule of connective tissue which 



f f>. 



FIG. 193. NEUROTENDINOUS END ORGAN OR TENDON SPINDLE OF GOLGI. 



fpt, bundle of tendon fibers; gH, medullated nerve fiber; rfnc, ribbon-like terminal 

 ramifications of the neuraxis; SR, node of Ranvier. Moderately magnified. (After 

 Ciacio.) 



incloses several intrafusal tendon bundles of dense fibrous tissue. A 

 narrow lymphatic space intervenes between the capsule and the intra- 

 fusal tendon bundles. 



Nerve fibers enter the spindle and give off several medullated branches 

 which run between the tendon bundles near the axis of the spindle. 

 These finally form naked end fibrils with branching end plates, which 

 surround the tendon bundles in an annular or spiral manner (Ciacio, 

 Arch. ital. de biol., 1891). Since the structure of the Golgi tendon 

 spindles closely resembles that of the muscle spindles, they are probably 

 of similar function. 



4. Pacinian Corpuscles and End Bulbs of Krause. In addition 

 to the special motor and sensory end organs described above, 

 Pacinian corpuscles and end bulbs of Krause are also found in the con- 

 nective tissue of striated muscles. 



