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The developing and restructuring superior cervical ganglion of guinea pigs ( Cavia porcellus var. albina )
Author(s) -
Toscano Cauê Pereira,
Melo Mariana Pereira,
Matera Júlia Maria,
Loesch Andrzej,
Ribeiro Antonio Augusto Coppi Maciel
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international journal of developmental neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.761
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1873-474X
pISSN - 0736-5748
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2009.03.006
Subject(s) - cavia , ganglion , biology , superior cervical ganglion , neuron , guinea pig , anatomy , medicine , endocrinology , neuroscience
Post‐natal development comprises both maturation (from newborn to adult) and ageing (from adult to senility) and, during this phase, several adaptive mechanisms occur in sympathetic ganglia, albeit they are not fully understood. Therefore, the present study aimed at detecting whether post‐natal development would exert any effect on the size and number of a guinea pig's superior cervical ganglion (SCG) neurons. Twenty right SCGs from male subjects were used at four ages, i.e. newborn (7 days), young (30 days), adult (7 months) and old animals (50 months). Using design‐based stereological methods the volume of ganglion and the total number of mononucleate and binucleate neurons were estimated. Furthermore, the mean perikaryal volume of mononucleate and binucleate neurons was estimated using the vertical nucleator. The main findings of this study were a combination of post‐natal‐dependent increases and decreases in some variables: (i) 27% increase in ganglion volume, (ii) 24% and 43% decreases in the total number of mono and binucleate neurons, respectively, and (iii) 27.5% and 40% decreases in the mean perikaryal volume of mono and binucleate neurons, respectively. Despite the fall in neuron numbers found here, post‐natal development is not only associated with neuron loss, but also embraces other structural adaptive mechanisms, which are discussed in this paper.