A quantitative study of structural features, synapses and nearest-neighbour relationships of small, granule-containing cells in the rat superior cervical sympathetic ganglion at various adult stages

Case, C. P.; Matthews, Margaret R.

doi:10.1016/0306-4522(85)90134-4

Cited by 27 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…Estimates were made of the mean total number of apposed nerve terminals per small granule-containing cell, for the ganglia in which samples were analysed stereologically. This approach includes internal compensation for the relative dimensions of nuclei and nerve terminal appositions, and has been shown to yield results in close agreement with direct counts made from semi-serial sections in a normal ganglion (Case & Matthews, 1985). The results are summarized in Table 2.…”

Section: Real Versus Apparent Changessupporting

confidence: 66%

“…Case & Matthews, 1986). The increase varied according to the type of experiment and the survival interval, but from an early stage it substantially exceeded the increase of incoming synapses found with increase of age (Case & Matthews, 1985), shown for rats aged 5-5 and 13 months in the right-hand columns of Fig. 1; these older ganglia show a significantly higher incidence of incoming synapses (uncorrected) than is found in young normal ganglia (left-hand columns of Fig.…”

Section: Characteristics and Definition Of Incoming Synapsesmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Most of the small granule-containing cells which are distributed in groups and clusters in the rat superior cervical ganglion are interneurone-like (Williams, 1967;Case & Matthews, 1985), giving asymmetrical outgoing synapses to principal neurones (Matthews & Raisman, 1969;Matthews & Nash, 1970); it is with this population that the present study is concerned.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The small granule-containing cells, like principal neurones, are innervated by preganglionic axons (Taxi, Gautron & L'Hermite, 1969;Matthews, 1971;Matthews & Ostberg, 1973), and all groups and clusters of small granule-containing cells and most, if not all, individual small granule-containing cells are innervated (Case & Matthews, 1985). The active zones of the preganglionic synapses on small granulecontaining cells are discontinuous, showing multiple small foci of synaptic specialization, which are symmetrical (Matthews & Raisman, 1969;Matthews, 1976), and are similar in this respect to the preganglionic synapses which innervate adrenal medullary chromaffin cells (Grynzspan-Winograd, 1974).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The small granule-containing cells themselves should escape direct injury after post-ganglionic axotomy, since they exhibit only short processes which are not observed to extend into the post-ganglionic nerve trunks, and there is, moreover, direct evidence that cutting these trunks is not followed by any loss of these cells (Soinila & Eriink6, 1980, 1982; but the dissociation of their outgoing synapses to the principal neurones might deprive them of some target-derived factor essential for the maintenance of their own preganglionic synaptic input. A quantitative analysis of synapses has been made, including the use of stereology; data on the innervation of the small granule-containing cells in normal ganglia, from Case & Matthews (1985), have been used as a basis for comparison. The effects of both unilateral and bilateral postganglionic lesions have been studied, and the uninjured ganglia contralateral to unilateral axotomies have also been investigated to test for possible crossed effects (cf.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Incoming synapses and size of small granule‐containing cells in a rat sympathetic ganglion after post‐ganglionic axotomy.

Case¹,

Matthews²

1986

The Journal of Physiology

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SUMMARY1. A quantitative ultrastructural study has been made of the reaction of the incoming synapses of small granule-containing cells after axotomy of the major post-ganglionic branches of the superior cervical ganglion of the young adult rat. These cells are intrinsic and interneurone-like in this ganglion, receiving a preganglionic input and giving outgoing synapses to principal post-ganglionic neurones.2. Unlike their outgoing synapses, which are lost after post-ganglionic axotomy (Case & Matthews, 1986), the incoming synapses of the small granule-containing cells in axotomized ganglia increased in incidence post-operatively. The increase first became clearly evident 5-7 days post-operatively and was greater, being both more sustained and progressive, after bilateral than after unilateral axotomy. After bilateral axotomy the incidence of incoming synapses rose to more than four times that of normal ganglia and was still elevated at 128 days post-operatively, but was within normal limits at 390 days.3. After a unilateral lesion, increases of similar extent and time course to those in the axotomized ganglia were seen in the incoming synapses of small granulecontaining cells in the uninjured contralateral ganglia.4. The incoming synapses of the small granule-containing cells are multifocal, i.e. show several points or active foci of synaptic specialization. The increase in synapses expressed itself both through an increased incidence of these synaptic active foci per nerve terminal and through an increase in the number of~presynaptic nerve terminal profiles associated with the cells.5. Control observations indicated that the increase in synapses was not due to surgical stress, nor was it attributable solely to post-operative ageing.6. The nerve terminals which were presynaptic to the small granule-containing cells post-operatively were all ofpreganglionic origin: no incoming synapses or presynaptic nerve terminals remained at 2 days after a preganglionic denervation of axotomized or contralateral ganglia, at whatever stage this was performed throughout the range of survival intervals.7. There was some evidence that the synapses had increased by sprouting, including terminal sprouting, of the preganglionic nerve fibres. In the shorter term * To whom correspondence should be sent.PHY 374 2 C. P. CASE AND M. R. MATTHEWS there was an increase in the proportion of small nerve terminal profiles. In the longer term the mean size of the terminal profiles increased, and very large terminals of unusual form were seen.8. After post-ganglionic axotomy, and in particular after a bilateral lesion, the small granule-containing cells became hypertrophied. The size of the small granulecontaining cells was directly correlated with both the incidence and the collective size of the preganglionic nerve terminals which innervated them. Both the small granule-containing cells and their incoming innervation thus display a considerable capacity for expansion, such as is found to be inherent also in other neuronal systems.9. These inte...

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Section: Real Versus Apparent Changessupporting

confidence: 66%

Section: Characteristics and Definition Of Incoming Synapsesmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Incoming synapses and size of small granule‐containing cells in a rat sympathetic ganglion after post‐ganglionic axotomy.

Case¹,

Matthews²

1986

The Journal of Physiology

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Small, intensely fluorescent cells and the paraneuron concept

Matthews

1989

J. Elec. Microsc. Tech.

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Sympathetic ganglia contain large principal nerve cells and, in addition, many smaller cells that resemble the endocrine cells of the adrenal medulla in morphology and chromaffinity. The advent of the formaldehyde-induced fluorescence technique proved to be an invaluable tool for studying this unique cell type, and it was this method that accounted for their descriptive name of small, intensely fluorescent cells, now universally abbreviated to SIF cells. Electron microscopy also proved of great importance in detailing the structure of SIF cells and their relationship with neighbouring neurones. Fine structural observations revealed that the cells contained numerous dense-cored granules, and this led to their electron microscopic name of small, granule-containing cells. SIF cells are most abundant, and very well studied, in the rat superior cervical ganglion, where they both receive and give synapses. Early researchers suggested that SIF cells were interneurones appropriately situated between pre- and postganglionic elements and thus capable of influencing ganglion signals. SIF cells also are known to exist in the form of richly vascularized, compact clusters of varying size. Clustered chromaffin cells do not necessarily give rise to processes that would contact the principal neurones. The existence of singly occurring as well as clustered SIF cells has given rise to a proposed designation of type I and type II cells, with I representing the interneuronal-like form and II possibly performing as an endocrine-like component. Despite a wealth of knowledge concerning SIF cells, their exact role(s) in the overall functioning of the autonomic nervous system is still not completely understood.

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Chemosensitivity, plasticity, and functional heterogeneity of paraganglionic cells in the rat coeliac‐superior mesenteric complex

Borghini

Dalmaz

Peyrin

et al. 1994

Microscopy Res & Technique

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Chemosensitivity and plasticity of paraganglionic cells in the rat coeliac-superior mesenteric complex (CSMC) were investigated at a basal state of normoxia (21% O2) and after long-term moderate hypoxia (10% O2, 14 days). Chemical sympathectomy previous to hypoxia was performed to destroy principal ganglionic neurons and thus to allow measurement of the norepinephrine and dopamine content of paraganglionic cells. At the basal state, the CSMC contained dopaminergic (TH+/DBH-) and noradrenergic (TH+/DBH+) paraganglionic cells, the majority being of the noradrenergic type. After 14 days of hypoxia, this ratio was reversed and dopaminergic cells predominated, as indicated by a twofold increase of TH+ cells and a twofold decrease of DBH+ cells. Biochemically, hypoxia produced an increase in the content (1.6-fold) and utilization (1.4-fold) of dopamine as well as a smaller increase in the content of norepinephrine, with no change in its utilization rate. The dopaminergic activation induced by hypoxia persisted after sympathectomy with guanethidine. It is concluded that paraganglionic cells in the CSMC display a chemosensitive function. Furthermore, our findings indicate that paraganglionic cells are differentially affected by hypoxia, depending on their distribution and the nature of their neuromodulators. The alterations induced by hypoxia point out the phenotypic plasticity developed by paraganglionic cells in adaptation to hypoxia and further demonstrate the functional heterogeneity of this autonomic cell population in the rat CSMC.

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A quantitative study of structural features, synapses and nearest-neighbour relationships of small, granule-containing cells in the rat superior cervical sympathetic ganglion at various adult stages

Cited by 27 publications

References 84 publications

Incoming synapses and size of small granule‐containing cells in a rat sympathetic ganglion after post‐ganglionic axotomy.

Incoming synapses and size of small granule‐containing cells in a rat sympathetic ganglion after post‐ganglionic axotomy.

Small, intensely fluorescent cells and the paraneuron concept

Chemosensitivity, plasticity, and functional heterogeneity of paraganglionic cells in the rat coeliac‐superior mesenteric complex

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