Innervating

Innervating is the act of supplying a tissue or organ with nerves, i.e., the process of innervation. In anatomy, innervation describes the nerve supply that provides control, sensation, or autonomic regulation to a body part. In vertebrates, innervation is accomplished by the peripheral nervous system delivering fibers that are sensory (afferent), motor (efferent), or autonomic.

Skeletal muscles receive somatic motor innervation from neurons in the spinal cord or brainstem; sensory innervation of the skin transmits touch, temperature, and pain through cutaneous nerves; autonomic innervation adjusts functions of glands and viscera via sympathetic and parasympathetic fibers. The pattern of innervation is specific to tissue and region, reflecting functional needs and anatomical organization.

Disruption of innervation due to injury or disease can lead to denervation, with weakness or loss of sensation and, over time, atrophy of the affected tissue. Some structures have limited or different innervation profiles; for example, brain parenchyma lacks pain receptors, while meninges contain nociceptive innervation. Understanding innervation and reinnervation is important in neurology, anatomy, and surgical planning.