The autonomic innervation in the heart is predominantly by postganglionic, parasympathetic, and sympathetic neurons, which are organized in a plexus of ganglions into the heart. The knowledge of the density, distribution, location, morphology, and intrinsic connection of this system that constitute the heart autonomic innervation is limited and controversial. Methods that provide clear information in this field are desirable. A widely used method to study the morphology of the nerve cells in the central nervous system (CNS) is used in this study to characterize the autonomic innervation in rat hearts. The method consisted of impregnation of the fresh whole heart of 12 adult male Wistar rats with the Golgi-Cox stain for 30 days, after which they were incubated in 30% sucrose solution for 2-3 days and then were sectioned (200 microm) with a vibratome. The tissues were mounted on gelatin-covered slides and analyzed by using the Sholl method under light microscopy adapted to a camera lucida. The results clearly show a distribution of the ganglion plexuses in the epicardium, myocardium, and endocardium, joined by an extensive network of nerve fibers in the four cardiac chambers. We also identified and characterized the morphology of an isolated cardiac nerve cell. As results similar to that in the CNS, the Golgi-Cox method is a simple, efficient, and an accessible tool to study the autonomic innervation in the rat heart and provides a good resolution of the morphology of the plexuses of the ganglions and nerve fibers.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2009.01.004 | DOI Listing |
Burns Trauma
January 2025
Central Laboratory of The Lishui Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, The First Affiliated Hospital of Lishui University, Lishui People's Hospital, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, China.
Neuroregulation during skin wound healing involves complex interactions between the nervous system and intricate tissue repair processes. The skin, the largest organ, depends on a complex system of nerves to manage responses to injury. Recent research has emphasized the crucial role of neuroregulation in maximizing wound healing outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomedicines
January 2025
Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
With an aging population, the incidence of both ischemic heart disease and strokes have become the most prevalent diseases globally. These diseases have similar risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes, and smoking. However, there is also evidence of a relationship between the heart and the brain, referred to as the heart-brain axis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
January 2025
The Fleischer Institute for Diabetes and Metabolism, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA.
The visceral organ-brain axis, mediated by vagal sensory neurons, is essential for maintaining various physiological functions. Here, we investigate the impact of liver-projecting vagal sensory neurons on energy balance, hepatic steatosis, and anxiety-like behavior in mice under obesogenic conditions. A small subset of vagal sensory neurons innervate the liver and project centrally to the nucleus of the tractus solitarius, area postrema, and dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, and peripherally to the periportal areas in the liver.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Oral Health
January 2025
Department of Otolaryngology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA.
Objective: With altered sense of taste being a common symptom of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the main objective was to investigate the presence and distribution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) within the tongue over the course of infection.
Methods: Golden Syrian hamsters were inoculated intranasally with SARS-CoV-2 and tongues were collected at 2, 3, 5, 8, 17, 21, 35, and 42 days post-infection (dpi) for analysis. In order to test for gross changes in the tongue, the papillae of the tongue were counted.
Am J Dermatopathol
January 2025
Department of Dermatology, Brown University, Providence, RI.
Erythromelalgia, a rare cutaneous pain syndrome, is characterized by acral burning pain and flushing, often alleviated by cold and rest. Primary erythromelalgia is caused by gain-of-function mutations of genes encoding for sodium channels, resulting in hyperexcitability of pain signaling neurons. Autoimmunity and hematologic dyscrasias such as thrombocythemia have been implicated in secondary erythromelalgia.
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