inervé

In French, the adjective describing a tissue or organ that has a nervous supply is innervé, usually spelled with two n’s. The form inervé is generally considered a misspelling. The term comes from the Latin innervare and is used in anatomy to indicate that a tissue receives nerve fibers from a particular nerve or plexus.

Innervation is the process by which nerves reach and connect with a target tissue, enabling motor control and sensory perception. Nerve fibers can be motor (efferent) or sensory (afferent) and belong to the somatic or autonomic branches of the nervous system. An innervated tissue is described as being innervated by a specific nerve, for example a muscle innervated by the musculocutaneous nerve.

Clinical relevance arises from the concept of denervation, the loss of nerve supply, which can lead to impaired function and muscle atrophy. Reinnervation, the regrowth or reestablishment of nerve connections with the target tissue, may occur after injury but varies by tissue type and severity. Understanding innervation helps localize function, diagnose nerve injuries, and plan surgical or rehabilitation strategies.

Examples of innervation include skeletal muscles, which are typically innervated by specific peripheral nerves (such as the deltoid muscle by the axillary nerve), and organs or structures that receive autonomic input, such as the heart (sympathetic and parasympathetic innervation) or the iris (parasympathetic and sympathetic control). The concept of innervation is foundational in anatomy, physiology, and clinical medicine.