title: Experimental study to localize the neurons projecting to the lamb retractor penis muscle.
abstract: Aim of the present study was to locate the neurons projecting to the lamb retractor penis muscle, a smooth muscle associated to the penis. The retrograde neuronal tracer Fast Blue was injected into the bulbopenile portion of the left retractor penis muscle. Labelled cells were found bilaterally in the S2-S4 spinal ganglia, from the last two lumbar (L5-L6 or L6-L7) to S4 sympathetic trunk ganglia and in the hypogastric and pelvic plexuses. Fast blue-positive (FB+) neurons were also found in the intermediate gray substance in the S1-S4 segments of the spinal cord. Our research enables us to describe the organization of the innervation of the lamb retractor penis muscle, highlighting the site of the primary afferent, postganglionic efferent and presumably preganglionic parasympathetic neurons projecting to the muscle.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Animal Health, University of Parma, Parma, Italy. maddalena.botti@unipr.it
authors.forename: Maddalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Botti
authors.forename: Ferdinando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gazza
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ragionieri
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bo Minelli
authors.forename: Rino
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Panu
mesh_terms: D000578:Amidines; D000818:Animals; D017776:Autonomic Pathways / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D003307:Copulation / Q000502:physiology; D004542:Ejaculation / Q000502:physiology; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D005726:Ganglia, Parasympathetic / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D005728:Ganglia, Sympathetic / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D007001:Hypogastric Plexus / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology; D056347:Neuroanatomical Tract-Tracing Techniques; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D017773:Pelvic Floor / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology; D010413:Penis / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D034561:Sheep, Domestic / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D017779:Sympathetic Fibers, Postganglionic / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000578:Amidines; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; C031455:diamidino compound 253-50