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Localization of sympathetic postganglionic neurons of physiologically identified cardiac nerves in the dog
Author(s) -
Armour J. Andrew,
Hopkins David A.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/cne.902020204
Subject(s) - stellate ganglion , superior cervical ganglion , cervical ganglia , ganglion , biology , anatomy , sympathetic ganglion , axoplasmic transport , horseradish peroxidase , sympathetic nervous system , neuroscience , pathology , medicine , endocrinology , biochemistry , alternative medicine , blood pressure , enzyme
Cardiac nerves were identified physiologically and injected with horseradish peroxidase in 38 dogs. Retrogradely labeled neurons were present in the greatest number in the middle cervical ganglion, whereas fewer labeled neurons were present in the stellate ganglion. Only occasional neurons in the superior cervical ganglion were labeled, and no labeled cells were found in the T3 to T6 paravertebral ganglia or in the ganglia contralateral to the nerve injected. Following injections into specific cardiac nerves, retrograde labeling was widespread within the middle cervical ganglion, and the distributions of labeled neurons from different nerves overlapped considerably. In the middle cervical ganglion there was little or no regional grouping of cells projecting to specific cardiac nerves. Within the stellate ganglion, however, the cardiac‐sympathetic cells were clustered primarily at the cranial pole near the origin of the ventral and dorsal ansae. Mediastinal ganglia and ganglia located in cardiac nerves were frequently as heavily labeled as the ipsilateral stellate ganglion. The occurrence of heavy labeling in mediastinal and cardiac nerve ganglia indicates that these hitherto unreported ganglia play a significant role in cardiac neural regulation. These data imply that the organization of sympathetic neurons controlling the heart is much more complex than has previously been considered.