To understand the functional significance of orofacial injury-induced neuronal activation, this study examined the rostral projection of caudal brainstem neurons that were activated by masseteric inflammation. Rats were injected with a retrograde tracer, Fluorogold, into the nucleus submedius of the thalamus (Sm), parabrachial nucleus (PB), lateral hypothalamus (LH), or medial ventroposterior thalamic nucleus (VPM) 7 days before injection of an inflammatory agent, complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA), into the masseter muscle. Rats were perfused at 2 hours after inflammation, and brainstem tissues were processed for Fos-Fluorogold double immunocytochemistry. Although there was no difference in Fos expression among the four groups (n=4 per site), the rostral projection of Fos-positive neurons showed dramatic differences. In the ventral portion of the trigeminal subnuclei interpolaris/caudalis (Vi/Vc) transition zone, the percentage of Fos-positive neurons projecting to the Sm (39.7%) was significantly higher than that projecting to the LH (5.4%) or VPM (5.6%; P<.001). The anesthesia alone also induced Fos expression in ventral Vi/Vc neurons, but these neurons did not project to Sm. In the caudal laminated Vc and dorsal Vi/Vc, the PB was the major site of rostral projection of Fos-positive neurons. In the caudal ventrolateral medulla and nucleus tractus solitarius, Fos-positive neurons projected to the Sm, PB, and LH. Most VPM-projecting neurons examined did not show Fos-like immunoreactivity after masseter inflammation. These findings emphasize the importance of the trigeminal Vi/Vc transition zone in response to orofacial deep tissue injury. Furthermore, the results differentiate the ventral and dorsal portions of the Vi/Vc transition zone, in that the Sm received projection mainly from activated neurons in the ventral Vi/Vc. The activation of Vi/Vc neurons and associated ascending pathways may facilitate somatoautonomic and somatovisceral integration and descending pain modulation after orofacial deep tissue injury.
Objective: The objective of this retrospective study was to investigate the relationship between mandibular symphysis bone density (BD) and mandibular growth direction in adolescent patients by facilitating the measurement of cortical and cancellous BDs at the mandibular symphysis using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Study Design: 224 adolescent patients (98 males and 126 females) were categorized by sex, age, and mandibular growth direction. Cortical and cancellous BDs were measured along with a sagittal slice at multiple locations. Results: Females exhibited higher cortical BD than males at menton (Me, P =0.002). Patients with a posterior growth direction exhibited a higher cortical BD than those with anterior and normal growth direction at Me (P <0.021, P <0.001, respectively), pogonion (Pog, P =0.037, P =0.037, respectively) and genion (Ge, P =0.007, P =0.008, respectively). Patients with a posterior growth direction exhibited a higher cortical BD than those with anterior growth direction at B point (P =0.009). Conclusions: Significant differences in BD were identified across anthropometric categories. These findings may be useful in determining mandibular growth direction in adolescents.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.