Facial nerve parasympathetic preganglionic afferents to the accessory otic ganglia by way of the chorda tympani nerve in the cat |
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Authors: | Satoshi Kuchiiwa T Kuchiiwa Satoru Nonaka and Shiro Nakagawa |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Sakuragaoka 8-35-1, Kagoshima 890, Japan, JP;(2) Department of Life Science, Kagoshima Immaculate Heart College, Toso 4-22-1, Kagoshima 890, Japan Tel.: +81-99-253-2677; Fax: +81-99-275-5214; e-mail: kuchiiwa@med1.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp, JP;(3) Laboratory of Electron Microscopy, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Sakuragaoka 8-35-1, Kagoshima 890, Japan, JP |
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Abstract: | The distribution of accessory otic ganglia and connections between the ganglia and the chorda tympani nerve were investigated
in the cat in order to determine the parasympathetic preganglionic facial nerve afferents to the otic ganglia using whole
mount acetylthiocholinesterase (WATChE) histochemistry. The otic ganglia consist of a sigle main prominent ganglion and many
small accessory ganglia lying on a plexus around the origins of the branches of the mandibular nerve and near the junction
of the chorda tympani nerve and lingual nerve. In cell analysis of Nissl-stained preparations, the neurons composing the accessory
otic ganglia were morphologically similar to the main otic ganglion neurons. Connecting branches from the chorda tympani nerve
to the peripherally located acccessory otic ganglia were found and they were not stained by WATChE histochemistry. WATChE-positive
connecting branches from the ganglia to the inferior alveolar, lingual, and mylohyoid nerves were also found in the same preparations.
The WATChE histochemistry on various autonomic nervous tissues revealed that autonomic postganglionic nerve fibers are selectively
stained darkly and that preganglionic fibers remain unstained. Therefore, it is considered that the WATChE-negative connections
from the chordra tympani nerve consist chiefly of autonomic preganglionic fibers, whereas the WATChE-positive connections
to the branches of the mandibular nerve are mainly postganglionic fibers. This suggests that some of the facial nerve parasympathetic
preganglionic fibers in the chorda tympani nerve are mediated in the accessory otic ganglia and then join the branches of
the mandibular nerve to supply the target mandibular tissues.
Accepted: 25 November 1997 |
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Keywords: | Glossopharyngeal nerve Otic ganglion Salivatory nucleus Blood flow Cranial nerve Pterygopalatine ganglion |
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