Innvervatie

Innvervatie is the term used in Dutch and some contexts to refer to innervation—the distribution of nerve fibers to tissues, enabling sensation, motor control, and autonomic regulation. It describes how nerves connect the central and peripheral nervous systems to organs, muscles, and skin.

Nerve fibers are classified as sensory (afferent), motor (efferent), and autonomic (visceral). Somatic innervation controls voluntary movement and sensation, while autonomic innervation regulates involuntary functions such as heart rate, gland secretion, and vascular tone. Nerves reach their targets through peripheral plexuses and individual branches, with ganglia mediating autonomic signals and nerve terminals forming synapses with effector cells.

During development, sensory and motor axons navigate to targets under guidance cues; in injury, damaged nerves may undergo degeneration and, in some cases, reinnervation through collateral sprouting or nerve grafts. The degree of reinnervation affects functional recovery and may be influenced by age and injury severity.

Clinically, innervation status is assessed using modalities such as electrophysiological studies (electromyography and nerve conduction studies) and imaging. Loss or disruption can cause weakness, numbness, or dysautonomia, whereas successful reinnervation supports restoration of function.

Examples include the cutaneous innervation of the skin, diaphragmatic innervation by the phrenic nerve, and cardiac autonomic innervation. The term derives from Latin innervare (to supply with nerves).