title: Human nasociliary nerve with special reference to its unique parasympathetic cutaneous innervation.
abstract: The frontal nerve is characterized by its great content of sympathetic nerve fibers in contrast to cutaneous branches of the maxillary and mandibular nerves. However, we needed to add information about composite fibers of cutaneous branches of the nasociliary nerve. Using cadaveric specimens from 20 donated cadavers (mean age, 85), we performed immunohistochemistry of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP). The nasocilliary nerve contained abundant nNOS-positive fibers in contrast to few TH- and VIP-positive fibers. The short ciliary nerves also contained nNOS-positive fibers, but TH-positive fibers were more numerous than nNOS-positive ones. Parasympathetic innervation to the sweat gland is well known, but the original nerve course seemed not to be demonstrated yet. The present study may be the first report on a skin nerve containing abundant nNOS-positive fibers. The unique parasympathetic contents in the nasocilliary nerve seemed to supply the forehead sweat glands as well as glands in the eyelid and nasal epithelium.
authors.affiliation: Division of Ophthalmology, Iwamizawa Municipal Hospital, Iwamizawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hosaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Tokyo Dental College, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahito
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Wonkwang University School of Medicine and Hospital, Institute of Wonkwang Medical Science, Iksan, Korea.
authors.forename: Kwang Ho
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Division of Physical Therapy, Ongoul Rehabilitation Hospital, Jeonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyung Suk
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Division of Internal Medicine, Iwamizawa Kojin-kai Hospital, Iwamizawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Gen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Tokyo Dental College, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Shin-Ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abe
keywords: Human anatomy; Immunohistochemistry; Nasocialliary nerve; Neuronal nitric oxide synthase; Sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves