Premium
Central Projections of Trigeminal Afferents Innervating the Face in Naked Mole‐Rats ( Heterocephalus glaber )
Author(s) -
Henry Erin C.,
Sarko Diana K.,
Catania Kenneth C.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the anatomical record: advances in integrative anatomy and evolutionary biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.678
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1932-8494
pISSN - 1932-8486
DOI - 10.1002/ar.20714
Subject(s) - anatomy , spinal trigeminal nucleus , nucleus , dorsum , brainstem , chemistry , nociception , biology , neuroscience , biochemistry , receptor
In this study, we examined the topography of projections from facial afferents to the trigeminal brainstem nuclear complex (TBNC) in naked mole‐rats using the neuronal tracer CTB‐HRP. Tracer injections were made in a ventral to dorsal sequence that included the tooth pulp and dental ligament, ventral buccal pad, vibrissae, and the forehead. Labeled terminals were identified throughout the rostrocaudal extent of the TBNC, including the principal nucleus (Pr5), pars oralis (Sp5O), pars interpolaris (Sp5I), and pars caudalis (Sp5C) of the spinal trigeminal nucleus. Injections that labeled afferents from the tooth pulp and dental ligament resulted in heavy transport to dorsomedial portions of the TBNC, whereas injections made into progressively more dorsal regions of the face resulted in labeled terminals progressively more ventral and lateral in the nuclei. Injections that included dental afferents also labeled the mesencephalic nucleus of V, whereas injections into the skin of the face labeled cell bodies in the facial nucleus, and in most cases the motor nucleus of 5. Dental afferents in more rostral portions of the TBNC were coextensive with a cytochrome oxidase‐dense region visible in alternate sections processed for chemoarchitecture. Anat Rec, 291:988–998, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.