Morphological changes of taste buds and fungiform papillae following long-term neurectomy

Long-term neurectomy of chorda tympani-lingual nerves results in a complete disappearance of taste buds from rabbit fungiform papillae. This supports the view that taste buds of mammalian fungiform papillae are neurally dependent. Furthermore, the covering epithelium of denervated fungiform papillae develops a characteristic keratinization pattern corresponding to that of filiform papillae.