The behaviour of the Rohon-Beard cells has been studied in tadpoles of Triturus cristatus carnifex Laur. treated with thyroxine. The Rohon-Beard cells feel the effect of the thyroid hormone; the premature involution of these neurons is related to the earlier differentiation of the spinal ganglia, therefore the hormone effect seems indirect.
The largest dorsal neurons of the spinal cord of an urodelan Amphibian have been studied. The largest dorsal neurons of the adult are not to be considered as Rohon-Beard cells, having a bipolar cellular body and a medial dendrite; besides differentiate slower and rostralward and reach their highest number at the end of the metamorphosis.
Rohon-Beard cells are detected in the larval spinal cord of a viviparous Amphibian (Salamandra salamandra salamandra L.). These elements rarefy in the larvae near the metamorphosis and are lacking in metamorphosed animals. The disagreement with the findings on viviparous Teleosts may be due to different developmental patters.
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