Innervation of nonmystacial vibrissae in the adult rat.

摘要: Vibrissal follicle-sinus complexes (F-SCs) in the mystacial pad of rodents are heavily innervated by different types sensory nerve endings. One site F-SCs, inner conical body (ICB), is uniquely well only those species, such as rat, that rhythmically whisk their vibrissae. In this study, we examined innervation rat nonmystacial which not whisked. Supraorbital, posteroorbital, lateral cervical, median submental, and carpal forelimb F-SCs were cut on a cryostat either prepared for anti-human protein gene product (PGP 9.5) immunofluorescence or stained using Winkelmann silver technique. Much F-SCS similar to F-SCs. All large deep vibrissal (DVN) several smaller superficial nerves (SVNs). As pad, SVNs show distribution Merkel free endings qualitatively rete ridge collar all provide circumferentially oriented ICBs but median-cervical Not was ICB relatively sparse rpal portion also ascended from DVNs, make small, contribution other locations. Similar DVNs provided lanceolate level ring sinus reticular irregular lanceolate-like cavernous sinus. However, posteroorbital have few Carpal relativiely ring-sinus endings, diffusely distributed, limited outer root sheath. They lack unique set corpuscular ICB, sinus, rrely seen PGP 9.5 revealed two sets fine-caliber profiles at previously Athough there no correlation between whisking, regional variations F-SC suggest functional differences may exist vibrissae locations body. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.