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At least 613 records · Page 34Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Anatomical MRI study of basal ganglia in bipolar disorder patients.

This study examined possible anatomical abnormalities in basal ganglia structures in bipolar disorder patients. Caudate and putamen gray matter volumes, and globus pallidus total volume were measured with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 22 DSM-IV bipolar patients (age+/-S.D.=36+/-10 years; eight drug-free and 14 lithium monotherapy patients) and 22 matched healthy control subjects (age+/-S.D.=38+/-10 years). No significant differences were found between bipolar patients and healthy control subjects for any of the basal ganglia measures (t-tests, P>0.05). Age was inversely correlated with left putamen volumes in patients (R=-0.44, P=0.04), but not in healthy control subjects (R=-0.33, P=0.14). Older patients (>36 years old) had a significantly larger left globus pallidus than younger ones (< or =36 years old) (ANOVA, P=0.01). In a multiple regression analysis, after entering age as independent variable, the length of illness predicted smaller left putamen volumes, explaining 10.4% of the variance (F=4.07, d.f.=2, P=0.03). No significant effects of episode type, number of prior episodes, or gender were found in any basal ganglia measurements (ANOVA, P>0.05). In conclusion, our findings indicate that the basal ganglia may be anatomically preserved in bipolar patients. This is in contrast to available findings for unipolar disorder. However, our findings also suggest that age and length of illness may have significant effects on basal ganglia structures in bipolar patients, which may be more pronounced among bipolar I patients, and of relevance for the pathophysiology of the disorder.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

A new method for recording surface compound potentials in sympathetic ganglia from mouse, rat, and guinea pig--application to muscarinic and nicotinic depolarizations.

We present a new method for electrophysiologic investigations in isolated autonomous ganglia of a variety of laboratory animals. This method enables determination of surface compound potentials in ganglia and changes induced by pharmacologic compounds. Advantages of our methods are as following: (1) the method is relatively simple and does not require sophisticated experimental setups, with minor modifications it is adaptable to investigate ganglia of varying sizes; (2) the signal amplitude is comparable or even higher when compared with signals obtained by other methods: (3) the apparatus allows fast addition and removal of the investigational compounds and thus the determination of acute and subacute desensitizing effects; and (4) fast preparation and minor tissue injuries during preparation of the ganglia allow determination of surface potential changes over a time period of up to 2 days without qualitative changes of the parameters. In this report we demonstrate the validity of this method using superior cervical ganglia from rat, mouse, and guinea pig. Agonists used to trigger potential changes are the cholinergic agonists acetylcholine, muscarine, nicotine, and carbachol. The possibility of receptor desensitization by these compounds is investigated by repeated application over 5 h.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1997

Calcifications of the basal ganglia in children with brain tumours.

Calcifications in the basal ganglia have been found in nine (5.4%) of all children treated for any kind of brain tumour in our department. This has occurred over a mean period of 2.8 years after diagnosis. The group of patients has been compared with a group of other children, matched for age, sex, histologic diagnosis and tumour treatment, but without calcifications of the basal ganglia. The groups differ from each other with respect to a significantly higher incidence of hypothyroidism and growth hormone deficiency in the group of children with calcifications in the basal ganglia. Moreover the children with calcifications show a larger IQ-loss. Although the pathogenesis of the calcifications of the basal ganglia is not known, an association of damage to the vascular bed of the basal ganglia due to periods of increased intracranial pressure, together with endocrine deficiencies is discussed. We advise an adequate supplementation in cases of endocrine deficiencies in children treated for brain tumours as early as possible.

Basal Ganglia Diseases↗
PubMed2003

A SEEG study of ERP in motor and premotor cortices and in the basal ganglia.

OBJECTIVE: Our intention was to study the electrical activity related to the cognitive processing of simple sensory stimuli in the brain structures that participate in motor control. We focused our interest on the 250-600 ms time window, in which cognitive activity most probably provides the basis for the activity recorded. METHODS: Intracerebral stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) recordings were made from 15 epilepsy surgery candidates. We studied potentials that were recorded in a time window in which P300 usually could be recorded on the scalp and that were directly recorded from brain structures involved in motor control: the primary motor cortex (MC, Brodmann's area 4); the lateral and mesial (SMA) premotor cortices (Brodmann's area 6); and the basal ganglia. We evaluated the first distinctive potential to occur in the 250-600 ms time window that displayed an amplitude gradient in several adjacent contacts. Four protocols were performed: an auditory oddball (aP3); a visual oddball (vP3); and contingent negative variation (CNV) protocols, in which the potentials evoked by the auditory warning (aCNV) and visual imperative (vCNV) stimuli were evaluated. In the protocols aP3, vP3, and vCNV, the tested person responded by flexing his/her thumb or hand. In the aCNV paradigm, and in a further auditory oddball paradigm (aP3c), no motor response was required. We compared the presence of an event-related potential (ERP) with an amplitude gradient to the absence of a generator. RESULTS: The frequency of P3-like potential components was statistically significantly higher in the basal ganglia when compared with the explored cortical sites. Statistically non-significant latency differences between the basal ganglia and the cortex were displayed. The differences in the distribution of the potentials in the individual cortical areas were insignificant. The mean latency of vP3 was longer than the latencies of aP3, aP3c and vCNV. There was no significant difference between the distribution and latency of aP3 and aP3c. CONCLUSIONS: (1) ERPs are generated in cortical as well as in subcortical structures. (2) The cognitive processing of sensory information in all the tested protocols occurred in the basal ganglia; the occurrence in the investigated cortical areas was less frequent and more dependent on the task. The basal ganglia may play an integrative role in cognitive information processing, in motor and non-motor tasks.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Left and right basal ganglia and frontal activity during language generation: contributions to lexical, semantic, and phonological processes.

fMRI was used to determine the frontal, basal ganglia, and thalamic structures engaged by three facets of language generation: lexical status of generated items, the use of semantic vs. phonological information during language generation, and rate of generation. During fMRI, 21 neurologically normal subjects performed four tasks: generation of nonsense syllables given beginning and ending consonant blends, generation of words given a rhyming word, generation of words given a semantic category at a fast rate (matched to the rate of nonsense syllable generation), and generation of words given a semantic category at a slow rate (matched to the rate of generating of rhyming words). Components of a left pre-SMA-dorsal caudate nucleus-ventral anterior thalamic loop were active during word generation from rhyming or category cues but not during nonsense syllable generation. Findings indicate that this loop is involved in retrieving words from pre-existing lexical stores. Relatively diffuse activity in the right basal ganglia (caudate nucleus and putamen) also was found during word-generation tasks but not during nonsense syllable generation. Given the relative absence of right frontal activity during the word generation tasks, we suggest that the right basal ganglia activity serves to suppress right frontal activity, preventing right frontal structures from interfering with language production. Current findings establish roles for the left and the right basal ganglia in word generation. Hypotheses are discussed for future research to help refine our understanding of basal ganglia functions in language generation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Peptidergic transmitters in synaptic boutons of sympathetic ganglia.

In sympathetic ganglia of the bullfrog, a slow synaptic potential lasting for minutes--the late slow excitatory postsynaptic potential (e.p.s.p.)--was discovered. This slow response, unlike other previously known synaptic potentials in the autonomic nervous system, is not mediated by acetylcholine or monoamines. Similar non-cholinergic, non-adrenergic slow synaptic potentials have since been found in several other vertebrate autonomic ganglia. We found that the late slow e.p.s.p. is probably mediated by a peptide that is identical to, or closely resembles, mammalian luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH), because (1) when applied directly to sympathetic neurones, LHRH and its agonists elicit a slow depolarization, associated with similar changes in membrane conductance and excitability as those occurring during the late slow e.p.s.p. Furthermore, both peptide-induced and nerve-evoked responses are blocked by antagonists of LHRH; and (2) radioimmunoassays indicate that a chain of sympathetic ganglia contains 100-800 pg of a LHRH-like peptide. Its distribution among spinal nerves, the great reduction of this substance following denervation, and its release from ganglia following isotonic KCl treatment or nerve stimulation suggest that the LHRH-like material is contained in preganglionic nerve fibres. Here we report that immunohistochemical staining of sympathetic ganglia shows that LHRH-like immunoreactivity is indeed present in synaptic boutons. We also show that the two types of ganglion cells (B cells and C cells) receive strikingly different patterns of peptidergic innervation.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Metabolic mapping in the sympathetic ganglia and brain of the spontaneously hypertensive rat.

Local rates of glucose utilization in the superior cervical, cardiac, and coeliac ganglia were measured by means of the autoradiographic 2-deoxy-D-[14C]glucose method in male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY), 32-34, 46-48, and 78-87 days old. Brain glucose utilization was examined in 78-87-day-old SHR and WKY. At 32-34 days (at which time mean arterial blood pressure was normal and similar in both groups of rats), the rates of glucose utilization of all three sympathetic ganglia were the same in both groups. At 46-48 days, despite the fact that blood pressure had risen significantly in SHR (mean +/- SEM, 136 +/- 3 mm Hg, n = 5, compared to 113 +/- 3 mm Hg, n = 5, in the control WKY), glucose utilization was decreased in the cardiac and coeliac ganglia but not in the superior cervical ganglia of the SHR. At 78-87 days, glucose utilization was reduced in all the sympathetic ganglia of the hypertensive rats. These results suggest that the sympathetic system is less active in SHR and indicate that hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system is not part of the mechanism of the hypertension. Of 44 structures examined in the central nervous system, only the external cuneate, vestibular, and fastigial nuclei of the SHR exhibited increased rates of glucose utilization, and no changes were found in any of the other structures. These increases are probably not related to the origin or maintenance of the hypertension, inasmuch as lesioning of the vestibular or fastigial nuclei did not decrease blood pressure in the SHR.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Co-culture of embryonic chick heart cells and ciliary ganglia induces parasympathetic responsiveness in embryonic chick heart cells.

We have developed a system for the co-culture of embryonic chick heart cells obtained from embryos at 3.5 days in ovo with ciliary ganglia from chick embryos at 7 days in vivo. After 3 days of co-culture, removal of the ciliary ganglia resulted in complete degeneration of axons within 6-8 h, leaving the post-innervated heart cell culture devoid of neurons. Embryonic chick heart cells at 3.5 days in ovo are unresponsive to muscarinic stimulation. However, following 3 days of co-culture with ciliary ganglia, the heart cells developed a negative chronotropic response to muscarinic stimulation (paired t test, P < 0.02) which persisted for at least 24 h after removal of the ciliary ganglion. The development of muscarinic responsiveness was associated with an increase in the levels of specific alpha-subunits of the guanine nucleotide binding proteins (G-proteins), with a 3-fold increase in the level of alpha 39 (39 kDa subunit) and a 2.5-fold increase in the level of alpha 41. The level of the G-protein subunit alpha s remained unchanged. Culture of embryonic chick heart cells at 3.5 days in ovo with medium conditioned by the growth of embryonic chick heart cells and ciliary ganglia had an effect on the chronotropic response to muscarinic stimulation and on alpha 39 and alpha 41 levels identical to that of co-culture. These data suggest that a soluble factor released during the co-culture of embryonic chick heart cells and ciliary ganglia is capable of inducing muscarinic responsiveness. These studies suggest that innervation of the heart may induce parasympathetic responsiveness by increasing the availability of G-proteins which couple the muscarinic receptor to a physiological response.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Metabolic changes in the basal ganglia of patients with Huntington's disease: an in situ hybridization study of cytochrome oxidase subunit I mRNA.

On the basis of the functional model of the basal ganglia developed in the 1980s and the neuropathological findings in Huntington's disease (HD), changes in the neuronal activity of the basal ganglia have previously been proposed to explain the abnormal movements observed in this pathology. In particular, it has been stated that the neurodegenerative process affecting the basal ganglia in the disease should provoke a hypoactivity in the internal segment of the pallidum (GPi) that could explain choreic movements observed in the disease. To test this functional hypothesis, we performed an in situ hybridization study on control and HD brains postmortem, taking cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) mRNAs expression as index of neuronal activity. As most of the HD patients studied were under chronic neuroleptic (NL) treatment, we also studied the brains of non-HD patients under chronic NL treatment. Our results show that in HD brain the number of neurons expressing COI mRNA tends to be lower in the striatum, GPe and GPi, suggesting a severe involvement of these structures during the neurodegenerative process. Moreover, COI mRNA level of expression was markedly reduced within neurons of the putamen and GPe. Surprisingly, COI mRNA expression was not modified in the GPi in HD brains compared with controls. This paradoxical result in the GPi may be explained by the antagonistic effect of GPe hypoactivity and the degenerative process involving neurons of GPi. Our results indicate that the functional modifications, and consequently the pathophysiology of abnormal movements, observed in HD basal ganglia are more complex than expected from the currently accepted model of the basal ganglia organization.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

An immunohistochemical study of the organization of ganglia and nerve fibres in the mucosa of the porcine intestine.

In order to elucidate the organization of the enteric nervous system in the mucous plexus, wholemounts from six intestinal regions in six pigs were studied by vasoactive intestinal peptide, substance P, nitric oxide synthase and neurofilament proteins immunohistochemistry. The mucous plexus of both large and small intestine contained ganglia and isolated neurons. They were many and comparably larger in the caecum and colon, few in the ileum, and fewer and smaller in the jejunum. The mucous plexus was subdivided into the lamina muscularis mucosae and lamina proprial subplexuses, and based on location the latter was subdivided further in order to clarify their variations with respect to the amount, sizes and shapes of ganglia and neurons, sizes and orientation of nerve strands and immunoreactivities. Ganglia were situated at different topographical levels in the lamina muscularis mucosae subplexus, outer proprial and interglandular proprial meshworks in the lamina proprial subplexus with the majority of ganglia occurring in the outer proprial meshwork. The mucous plexus in the intestine of the pig is thus a ganglionated plexus showing marked segmental variation in the amount of intramucosal ganglia and isolated nerve cells. These new observations, calls for a re-examination of the mucous plexus to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of importance in mucosal functions and consideration of the mucous plexus in the intestine of the pig to be one of the major ganglionated plexuses.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Basal ganglia lesions in 'Pick complex': a topographic neuropathological study of 19 autopsy cases.

The distribution of basal ganglia lesions, including the amygdala, striatum (caudate nucleus, putamen), pallidum, and substantia nigra, were reinvestigated in 19 Japanese autopsy cases of 'Pick complex', consisting of five patients with corticobasal degeneration (CBD), 10 patients with Pick's disease with Pick bodies (PDPB), and four patients with generalized variant of Pick's disease (gvPD). The lesions in the amygdala, striatum, and pallidum were classified into three categories (severe, moderate, and slight). The lesions in the substantia nigra were qualitatively judged, compared with normal controls. In CBD, basal ganglia lesions in all five cases were uniform: the pallidum showed severe lesions, the striatum moderate lesions, the amygdala slight lesions, and obvious neuronal loss of the substantia nigra was verified in all five cases. Basal ganglia lesions in 10 cases of PDPB were also uniform: the amygdala disclosed severe to moderate lesions, the striatum moderate to slight lesions, the pallidum slight lesions, while obvious neuronal loss of the substantia nigra was found in only two of nine cases in which this structure was examined. Furthermore, basal ganglia lesions in all four cases of gvPD were uniform: the caudate nucleus showed severe lesions, the putamen and amygdala severe to moderate lesions, the pallidum moderate to slight lesions, and obvious neuronal loss of the substantia nigra was confirmed in all four cases. This study, using conventional staining such as hematoxylin-eosin and Holzer, clarified that there were prominent lesions in the pallidum in CBD, in the amygdala in PDPB, and in the caudate nucleus in gvPD, respectively. In addition, nigral involvement was usually found in CBD and gvPD, but was rarely seen in PDPB. These neuropathological findings may help to elucidate the pathological heterogeneity of basal ganglia lesions in 'Pick complex'.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Distinct roles for GFRalpha1 and GFRalpha2 signalling in different cranial parasympathetic ganglia in vivo.

Neurturin (NRTN), signalling via the GDNF family receptor alpha2 (GFRalpha2) and Ret tyrosine kinase, has recently been identified as an essential target-derived factor for many parasympathetic neurons. NRTN is expressed in salivary and lacrimal glands, while GFRalpha2 and Ret are expressed in the corresponding submandibular, otic and sphenopalatine ganglia. Here, we have characterized in more detail the role of GDNF and NRTN signalling in the development of cranial parasympathetic neurons and their target innervation. Gfra1 mRNA was expressed at E12 but not in newborn cranial parasympathetic ganglia, while Gfra2 mRNA and protein were strongly expressed in newborn and adult cranial parasympathetic neurons and their projections, respectively. In newborn GFRalpha1- or Ret-deficient mice, where many submandibular ganglion neurons were still present, the otic and sphenopalatine ganglia were completely missing. In contrast, in newborn GFRalpha2-deficient mice, most neurons in all these ganglia were present. In these mice, the loss and atrophy of the submandibular and otic neurons were amplified postnatally, accompanied by complete loss of innervation in some target regions and preservation in others. Surprisingly, GFRalpha2-deficient sphenopalatine neurons, whose targets were completely uninnervated, were not reduced in number and only slightly atrophied. Thus, GDNF signalling via GFRalpha1/Ret is essential in the early gangliogenesis of some, but not all, cranial parasympathetic neurons, whereas NRTN signalling through GFRalpha2/Ret is essential for the development and maintenance of parasympathetic target innervation. These results indicate that GDNF and NRTN have distinct functions in developing parasympathetic neurons, and suggest heterogeneity among and within different parasympathetic ganglia.

Aging↗
PubMed2000

Neurotrophins from dorsal root ganglia trigger allodynia after spinal nerve injury in rats.

Injury to peripheral nerves often results in chronic pain which is difficult to relieve. The mechanism underlying the pain syndrome remains largely unknown. In previous studies we showed that neurotrophins are up-regulated in satellite cells around sensory neurons following sciatic nerve lesion. In the present study, we have examined whether the neurotrophins in the dorsal root ganglia play any role in allodynia after nerve injury. Antibodies to different neurotrophins, directly delivered to injured dorsal root ganglia, significantly reduced (with different time sequences) the percentage of foot withdrawal responses evoked by von Frey hairs. The antibodies to nerve growth factor acted during the early phase but antibodies to neurotrophin-3 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor were effective during the later phase. Exogenous nerve growth factor or brain-derived neurotrophic factor, but not neurotrophin-3, directly delivered to intact dorsal root ganglia, trigger a persistent mechanical allodynia. Our results showed that neurotrophins within the dorsal root ganglia after peripheral nerve lesion are involved in the generation of allodynia at different stages. These studies provide the first evidence that ganglia-derived neurotrophins are a source of nociceptive stimuli for neuropathic pain after peripheral nerve injury.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

GluR1 glutamate receptor subunit is regulated differentially in the primate basal ganglia following nigrostriatal dopamine denervation.

Nigrostriatal dopaminergic denervation is associated with complex changes in the functional and neurochemical anatomy of the basal ganglia. The excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate mediates neural signaling at crucial points of this circuitry, and glutamate receptors are differentially distributed in the basal ganglia. Available evidence suggests that the glutamatergic corticostriatal and subthalamofugal pathways become overactive after nigrostriatal dopamine depletion. In this study, we have analyzed the regulation of the GluR1 subunit of the a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate glutamate receptor in the basal ganglia of primates following 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced dopamine denervation. The dopamine denervation resulted in distinct alterations in GluR1 distribution: (1) GluR1 protein expression was markedly increased in caudate and putamen, and this was most pronounced in the striosomes; (2) GluR1 protein was altered minimally in subthalamic nucleus; (3) expression of GluR1 was down-regulated in the globus pallidus by 63% and in the substantia nigra by 57%. The down-regulation of GluR1 expression in the output nuclei of the basal ganglia, the internal segment of the globus pallidus and the substantia nigra pars reticulata, may be a compensation for the overactive glutamatergic input from subthalamic nucleus, which arises after striatal dopamine denervation. Our results indicate that the glutamatergic system undergoes regulatory changes in response to altered basal ganglia activity in a primate model of Parkinson's disease. Targeted manipulation of the glutamatergic system may be a viable approach to the symptomatic treatment of Parkinson's disease.

1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Innervation of the rat pineal gland by nerve fibres originating in the sphenopalatine, otic and trigeminal ganglia. A retrograde in vivo neuronal tracing study.

The innervation of the rat pineal gland from the sphenopalatine, otic, superior cervical and trigeminal ganglia was investigated in animals by use of in vivo retrograde tracings. A solution of 2% Fluorogold was iontophoretically injected into the superficial pineal gland in a series of Wistar rats. After a survival time of 4-10 days, the animals were fixed by perfusion and the brains, sphenopalatine, otic, superior cervical and trigeminal ganglia were investigated with a fluorescence microscope. Many retrogradely labelled perikarya were found in the superior cervical ganglia, but a smaller number of neurones were also labelled in the sphenopalatine, otic and trigeminal ganglia. Injections of the tracer into the subarachnoidal space were used as the control for unspecific uptake and transport of the tracer. The input to the pineal gland from the parasympathetic sphenopalatine and otic ganglia might be involved in the regulation of the annual rhythms of the pineal gland. The projections from the sensory trigeminal ganglion could be involved in the control of the blood flow of the gland.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed2005

Cutaneous field stimulation with moderate intensity current induces nerve proliferation in rat skin but has no effect on dorsal root ganglia.

Cutaneous field stimulation is used to treat localized itch. The aim of the present study was to determine whether such treatment induces neurochemical changes in the dorsal root ganglia in 30 rats using a pan-neuronal marker protein gene-product 9.5 (PGP 9.5) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). Electrical stimulation using the currents of either 0.13 mA or 0.53 mA--was given under general anaesthesia for 30 min per day for 10 days. Punch biopsies from the thoracal skín and the corresponding dorsal root ganglia were collected upon sacrifice. Both stimulation regimens induced proliferation of epidermal and dermal nerve fibers in the skin. The mean number of all cutaneous PGP-immunoreactive (IR) nerve fibers after the electrical stimulation with 0.13 mA was increased by 49% (p<0.001), the mean number of epidermal PGP-IR nerve fibers was increased by 25% (p = 0.001) and the mean number of all CGRP-IR nerve fibers was increased by 65% (p<0.001) compared with controls. The mean number of all PGP-IR nerve fibers after the electrical stimulation with 0.53 mA was increased by 39% (p<0.001), the mean number of PGP-IR epidermal nerve fibers was increased by 30% (p = 0.001) and the mean number of CGRP-IR nerve fibers was increased by 65% (p<0.001) compared with controls. Only stimulation with 0.53 mA induced an up-regulation of sensory neuron markers in the dorsal root ganglia. The ratio of positive/negative PGP-IR cells was increased by 17% (p = 0.002), the ratio of positive/negative CGRP-IR cells was increased by 12% (p = 0.003) and the ratio of positive/negative VR1-IR cells was likewise increased by 10% (p = 0.008) as compared with the control ganglia. We conclude that serial cutaneous electrical stimulation by a moderate current in rat does not induce neurochemical changes in the dorsal root ganglia.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Estimation of the number and size of female adult rat C4, C5 and C6 dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons.

In previous studies primary sensory neurons of adult rats have been counted in lumbar dorsal root ganglia. However, different counting methods have given very different results and at the cervical level, recent data are scarce. In the present study, the number of neurons in C4, C5 and C6 adult rat ganglia was determined using two previously calibrated techniques. The stereological tool was preferred because it directly identifies neurons instead of nucleoli and is more efficient. The C4, C5 and C6 dorsal root ganglia were found to contain 7508+/-299, 6825+/-950 and 6858+/-923 neurons, respectively, and statistical analysis indicated that there was no significant difference between the three levels. There was, however, a great interindividual variation, which was also found at other levels of the spinal cord. The mean diameter of neurons in the C4, C5 and C6 dorsal root ganglia was determined and was 17.52, 20.16 and 20.68 microm, respectively. It is important to know more about the organization of the sensory systems in the normal rat. Once established, the number of neurons in these dorsal root ganglia could be compared with different pathological situations or experimental treatments such as developmental conditions, nerve section or ganglion transplantation.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2004

Quantitative analysis of herpes simplex virus in cranial nerve ganglia.

A susceptible individual exposed to herpes simplex virus (HSV) will develop latent infection in multiple cranial nerve ganglia. There are a few quantitative studies of the viral load within the trigeminal ganglion, but none that investigate other cranial nerve ganglia. In this study, human trigeminal, geniculate, vestibular (Scarpa's) and cochlear (spiral) ganglia were obtained from willed body donors. Real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of the HSV DNA polymerase gene was performed on ipsilateral ganglion sets from the same individual. Viral load, expressed as HSV genomes per 105 cells, was significantly greater in the vestibular ganglion (mean +/- SD, 176705 +/- 255916) than in the geniculate (9948 +/- 22066), cochlear (3527 +/- 9360), or trigeminal (2017 +/- 5578) ganglia. There was not a significant correlation among ganglia from the same individual. The results support the hypothesis that neuronal subpopulations have variable susceptibility to HSV infection.

Base Sequence↗