Premium
Calcitonin gene‐related peptide immunostained axons provide evidence for fine primary afferent fibers in the dorsal and dorsolateral funiculi of the rat spinal cord
Author(s) -
McNeill D. L.,
Chung K.,
Carlton S. M.,
Coggeshall R. E.
Publication year - 1988
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.902720212
Subject(s) - spinal cord , afferent , biology , white matter , anatomy , neuroscience , sensory system , dorsum , axon , calcitonin gene related peptide , central nervous system , lumbar , lumbar spinal cord , population , neuropeptide , medicine , biochemistry , receptor , radiology , magnetic resonance imaging , environmental health
The hypothesis being tested in the present paper is that there are large numbers of fine primary afferent axons in the dorsal and dorsolateral funiculi of the lumbar spinal cord of the rat. The data show numerous calcitonin gene‐related peptide labeled fine myelinated and unmyelinated axons in these funiculi. Approximately 95% of the labeled axons disappear after dorsal rhizotomy. Accordingly, the hypothesis is confirmed. Thus it is becoming apparent that fine primary afferent fibers are more widely distributed in spinal white matter than had been previously recognized. Implications are that it is not possible to find areas in the spinal white matter that contain only large myelinated sensory axons and that significant numbers of fine primary afferent fibers will be lost even if lesions are restricted to the dorsal funiculus. The sizable population of fine myelinated primary afferent axons in the dorsal funiculus is emphasized. An obvious question, suggested by significant differences in average diameters of the axons in the different pathways, is whether there are differences in the types of information carried by the fine afferent fibers in their different locations in the white matter of the lumbar cord.