title: Intracranial distribution of the sympathetic system in mice: DiI tracing and immunocytochemical labeling.
abstract: The intracranial distribution of the cephalic branches of the superior cervical ganglion (scg) was studied in mice using indocarbocyanine dye (DiI) anterograde tracing. Two main branches were traced from the scg. The first branch joined the nerve of the pterygoid canal (the vidian nerve), npc, from which several intracranial sympathetic branches passed to the branches of the trigeminal nerve (tgn), abducent nerve (abn), trochlear nerve (trn), and oculomotor nerve (ocn). Most of the second branch joined the abn, from which sympathetic fibers dispersed in the distal region of the trigeminal ganglion (tgg) to form a plexus close to the ganglion's branches. Branches from this plexus joined the branches of the tgn, trn, and ocn. Several minor branches arising from the second branch of the scg were also observed. One formed a sympathetic plexus around the internal carotid artery (ica); a second formed a sympathetic plexus in the proximal region of tgg, close to its root; and a third branch coursed laterally to reach the ear by passing along the greater petrosal nerve (gpn). All of the intracranial trajectories traced from scg were found to be catecholaminergic, and likely sympathetic, using tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunocytochemistry.
authors.affiliation: Creighton University, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Omaha, Nebraska 68178, USA. adel@creighton.edu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maklad
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fritzsch
mesh_terms: D000010:Abducens Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D002232:Carbocyanines; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009802:Oculomotor Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D017783:Superior Cervical Ganglion / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D014276:Trigeminal Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D014321:Trochlear Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase
chemical_list: C035005:3,3'-dihexadecylindocarbocyanine; D002232:Carbocyanines; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase