innervés

Innervation is the distribution of nerves to a body part, enabling both sensation and control. The plural form innervés is sometimes used in discussions of tissues or structures that are supplied with nerve input, describing their nerve supply rather than the nerves themselves.

There are two broad categories of innervation. Somatic innervation includes voluntary motor control of skeletal muscles and conscious sensory input from the skin and proprioceptors. Autonomic innervation provides involuntary regulation for smooth muscle, cardiac tissue, and glands, and it comprises sympathetic and parasympathetic fibers that modulate function without conscious effort. The autonomic system also has a comparatively diffuse wiring pattern, coordinating activity across multiple organs.

Nerve pathways transmit information via neurons and their projections. Sensory (afferent) fibers carry information from receptors to the central nervous system, while motor (efferent) fibers convey commands from the CNS to effector tissues. The pattern of innervation can be organized into peripheral nerves and networks such as nerve plexuses, as well as into segmental mappings like dermatomes that reflect sensory innervation of the skin.

Developmentally, axons grow toward their targets guided by molecular cues. After injury, distal nerve segments may degenerate in a process known as Wallerian degeneration, and reinnervation can occur through regrowth and synapse formation, with outcomes depending on injury type and location.

Clinically, innervation status is central to function. Disorders such as neuropathies, radiculopathies, or autonomic dysfunction can impair sensation, movement, or glandular activity. Diagnostic tools include nerve conduction studies and electromyography to assess the integrity of innervés and their targets.