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P A Sandoz

Publications and source records attributed to P A Sandoz.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

The distribution of anterogradely labeled I--IV primary afferents in histochemically defined compartments of the rat's sternomastoid muscle.

The sternomastoid muscle of the rat is divided into a white (dominated by fast-glycolytic twitch fibers) and a red (dominated by fast oxidative-glycolytic twitch fibers, but also containing slow-oxidative twitch fibers) compartment. Previous reports on exclusive location of muscle spindles in the red portion were confirmed. On the basis of anterograde labeling with horseradish peroxidase-wheat germ agglutinine conjugate (WGA-HRP) it was shown in this study that, in addition to muscle spindle compartmentalisation, there was also an exclusive occurrence of tendon organs in the red part of the muscle; moreover, fine afferents (III- and IV-afferents) were mainly distributed to this portion as well. Radioimmunassay studies revealed that this part of the muscle contained twice as much substance P as the white part. It could be shown by acetylcholinesterase (AChE) histochemistry that the myelinated fibers of the white branch to the muscle exclusively displayed high enzyme activity which is characteristic for motor fibers; on the other hand, in the branch to the red portion two classes of AChE-positive fibers were found: a large one with a peak in the alpha-range, and a small one with a peak in the gamma-range. In addition, there was also a group of enzyme-negative (sensory) fibers. These results also indicate the red portion of the sternomastoid muscle to be its "sensory compartment".

Acetylcholinesterase↗

Vagal primary afferent terminals in the dorsal motor nucleus of the rat: are they making monosynaptic contacts on preganglionic efferent neurons?

After horseradish peroxidase (HRP) application to the cut cervical vagus nerve in rats, labelled primary afferent terminals could be demonstrated in the dorsal motor nucleus at the ultrastructural level by a combined glucose oxidase-silver-gold intensification technique. Some labelled boutons contacted labelled dendrites of preganglionic neurons. Thus, the occurrence of a few monosynaptic primary afferent-preganglionic efferent contacts in the dorsal motor nucleus could be demonstrated.

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The central projections of primary afferent neurons of greater splanchnic and intercostal nerves in the rat. A horseradish peroxidase study.

The central projections of primary afferent fibers of the greater splanchnic nerve of the rat were investigated using the transganglionic horseradish peroxidase transport technique. In addition, the corresponding spinal ganglion cells and the preganglionic sympathetic neurons were demonstrated. For comparing visceral and somatic afferents, intercostal nerve afferents were labelled by the same technique. Splanchnic afferent dorsal root ganglion cells were found at segments T3 to T13 ipsilaterally, with the greatest density at T8 to T12. Labelled cells represented about 10%-15% of all neurons in the ganglia at maximal projection levels. They were randomly distributed within individual ganglia. The great majority were medium to small sized and round to slightly oval in shape. In the spinal cord, labelled visceral afferent axons were found maximally at T8 to T11, but could be detected in decreasing density up to T1 and down to L1. They were distributed over Lissauer's tract and the dorsal funiculus to a medial and lateral collateral pathway (MCP and LCP, respectively). The MCP, somewhat more prominent than the LCP, was destined primarily to clustered presumptive terminal fields in medial lamina I and outermost lamina IIa. Only a few axons continued further to laminae V and X. Splanchnic afferent axons, most likely derived from the MCP, formed a longitudinal bundle ventral to the central canal. The LCP consisted of more or less well-defined axon bundles emanating from the lateral Lissauer's tract and curving round the lateral edge of the dorsal horn and through the dorsolateral funiculus. Presumptive terminal sites of LCP axons are the lateral laminae I and IIa, the nucleus of the dorsolateral funiculus and the dorsal part of lamina V. A few LCP axons were seen in the vicinity of lateral dendrites of preganglionic sympathetic axons. Visceroafferent terminals were absent from laminae IIb-IV and VII. The possible consequences of the MCP/LCP duality for the central connections of splanchnic afferents are discussed. Some splanchnic afferents ascended to the gracile and cuneate nuclei, and rarely to the spinal trigeminal nucleus. These results fit into the general concept of visceroafferent terminal organization that has emerged during the last few years. Differences to other reports in the detailed arrangement of fibers and terminals are discussed. Somatoafferent cell bodies represented the vast majority of neurons in the respective spinal ganglia. Cell sizes encompassed the whole range from very small to very large without a clear predominance of one particular size class.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

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Unmyelinated axons in a muscle nerve. Electron microscopic morphometry of the sternomastoid nerve in normal and sympathectomized rats.

In continuation of earlier studies on the innervation of the sternomastoid muscle of the rat, a detailed morphometric analysis was performed on the unmyelinated axons of the nerve, in normal rats and after extensive cervical sympathectomy. In 4 normal rats an average of 314 myelinated and 319 unmyelinated axons were present. 42 days after surgery, the 3 animals showed Horner's syndrome and a highly significant 40% loss of unmyelinated axons. We therefore suggest that 40% of the C-fibers in this nerve are postganglionic sympathetic efferents and that the remaining 60% are type IV fibers, i.e., unmyelinated afferents. Our counts also indicate that part of the Remak bundles of the Schwann cells contain only sympathetic axons, whereas others contain mixed groups of sympathetic and afferent axons. Myelinated nerve fibers were not lost due to sympathectomy. Unexpectedly, the 3 animals analyzed 7-13 days after surgery showed Horner's syndrome but only a 16% loss of unmyelinated axons, which was not even statistically significant. Morphological signs of degeneration and sprouting did not provide any clue, but a possible explanation would be that a transitory sprouting of the remaining afferent C-fibers or Schwann cells occurred.

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Perfusion-induced oedema does not disrupt perivascular glial sheaths in the rat area postrema: evidence for an inconspicuous type of cell junction?

After perfusion fixation using phosphate-buffered glutaraldehyde, the rat area postrema always contained some portions with lacunar extracellular spaces in the neuropil. This was interpreted as a sign of local oedema due to perfusion-induced extravasation, made possible by the absence of an endothelial blood-brain barrier in the area postrema. All perivascular spaces were delimited from the nervous tissue by a continuous layer of astroglial processes. The cell appositions in these perivascular glial sheaths were not only seen in the regions of the area postrema displaying conventional morphology, but also persisted systematically in those regions containing lacunar extracellular space after fixation. At these sites, the glial sheaths had presumably endured a net outflow of extravasated oedema fluid in vivo. In the neighbouring neuropil at these locations, certain cell appositions with conventional intercellular clefts also persisted. These phenomena might both be interpreted as non-random, functionally important cell contacts with the inconspicuous 'intercellular clefts' containing unstained material. In the case of perivascular glia this might imply a partial restriction of diffusion between blood and brain tissue, allowing certain control or defence functions.

Animals↗

A differential stain for neuronal nucleoli in unfixed cryostat sections.

The Klüver-Barrera procedure, using luxol fast blue and cresyl violet for a combined nissl and myelin stain, was adapted to unfixed cryostat sections. Neuronal nucleoli appeared as distinct dark blue structures. The color contrast between violet Nissl substance and the nucleoli facilitated their recognition in human and in rat central nervous systems. This modified staining procedure enabled us to combine a counting of nerve cells with a histochemical investigation by applying each technique to a different set of sections cut from the same block of unfixed, frozen brain tissue.

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