The pathomorphology of the superior cervical sympathetic ganglia in burns

Structural changes of upper cervical sympathetic ganglions of 75 patients who died in different stages of burn disease at the age of 19-85, were studied by neurohistological and neurohistochemical methods. It was determined that neurones change at earlier stages of burn disease begins with their reactivity increase. Later hypertrophy, atrophy and decay of neurones body take place. Sharp cateholamine exhaustion in the structures of upper cervical sympathetic ganglions is also determined during the first days of burn trauma (burn shock stage). Some restoring of mediator stock takes place in subsequent periods of burn disease.     

Effect of cervical sympathetic trunk transection on renal sympathetic nerve activity in rats

Stellate ganglion blockade (SGB) with a local anesthetic increases muscle sympathetic nerve activity in the tibial nerve in humans. However, whether this sympathetic excitation in the tibial nerve is due to a sympathetic blockade in the neck itself, or due to infiltration of a local anesthetic to adjacent nerves including the vagus nerve remains unknown. To rule out one mechanism, we examined the effects of cervical sympathetic trunk transection on renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) in anesthetized rats. Seven rats were anesthetized with intraperitoneal urethane. RSNA together with arterial blood pressure and heart rate were recorded for 15 min before and 30 min after left cervical sympathetic trunk transection. The baroreceptor unloading RSNA obtained by decreasing arterial blood pressure with administration of sodium nitroprusside was also measured. Left cervical sympathetic trunk transection did not have any significant effects on RSNA, baroreceptor unloading RSNA, arterial blood pressure, and heart rate. These data suggest that there was no compensatory increase in RSNA when cervical sympathetic trunk was transected and that the increase in sympathetic nerve activity in the tibial nerve during SGB in humans may result from infiltration of a local anesthetic to adjacent nerves rather than a sympathetic blockade in the neck itself.     

Conducting pathways of the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion of the cat

Individual nerves of the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion were stimulated in acute experiments on cats, and action potentials (AP) were recorded from other nerves of the ganglion in order to clarify whether or not there is transmission of excitation through the ganglion from one nerve to another and to establish whether this transmission is continuous or synaptic. The method of intracellular recording from neurons of the ganglion was also used. It is established that stimulation of the cervical sympathetic nerve evokes AP in all of the peripheral nerves of the ganglion, a circumstance that is the result of synaptic transmission of excitation. There is no transmission of excitation in the reverse direction or between any of the 12 peripheral nerves of the ganglion (including the four branches of the internal carotid nerve). Orthodromic excitation is recorded intracellularly from neurons of the ganglion during stimulation of the cervical sympathetic nerve, and antidromic excitation is recorded during stimulation of a peripheral nerve (the internal carotid nerve). It follows that the pathways through the ganglion which conduct excitation from the cervical sympathetic nerve into all of the remaining nerves of the ganglion are synaptic. Analysis of EPSP latent periods indicated that preganglionic fibers that differ sharply with respect to threshold and conduction rate (groups S₂ and S₄) converge on one and the same neurons of the ganglion.A. A. Bogomolets Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, Kiev. Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 216–224, March–April, 1970.     

Spontaneous activity of the isolated rabbit superior cervical sympathetic ganglion

Investigation of spontaneous activity (mean amplitude of spikes 200–300 µV, frequency from 0.07 to 2.9 Hz) in the rabbit superior cervical sympathetic ganglion by the sucrose gap method showed that this activity was completely blocked by D-tubocurarine and hexamethonium; its frequency was increased in hypertonic solution, by an increase in the external potassium concentration, and by the addition of theophylline and ethanol. These observations suggest that the activity observed is due to spontaneous liberation of acetylcholine mediator from preganglionic nerve endings. However, addition of tetrodotoxin and an increase in the external calcium concentration to 10 mM block spontaneous activity in the ganglion. This suggests that the observed spontaneous activity consists of action potentials.     

Blood supply of the human cervical sympathetic chain and ganglia

OBJECTIVE: Cadaveric studies of the blood supply to the human cervical sympathetic chain and ganglia are lacking in the English literature. This study seeks to elucidate the gross blood supply of the cervical sympathetic chain so as to avoid surgical disruption of these vessels and thus decrease the risk of vascular insufficieny and subsequent dysfunction of thoracolumbar autonomic outflow to the head and neck. METHODS: Twelve (24 sides) human cadavers (8 male and 4 female) were dissected and their brachiocephalic veins, internal carotid arteries, and vertebral arteries cannulated. Red and blue latex was injected into the arteries and veins respectively. Dissection of the neck was carefully performed and the blood supply of the cervical sympathetic chain identified. RESULTS: The primary arterial supply to the sympathetic chain and ganglia were from superior to inferior the ascending pharyngeal, ascending cervical, thyrocervical trunk, and supreme intercostal arteries. The primary venous drainage of these structures was primarily by direct posterior branches into the internal jugular vein. In addition, we have found an area at the junction of the lower two-thirds and upper one-third of the neck, which is deficient in blood supply (both arterial and venous). CONCLUSIONS: Although sympathetic injury is a rare consequence of cervical operations, the current data should be useful to the surgeon who operates in the cervical region so as to avoid potential complications from disruption of the primary blood supply of the cervical sympathetic chain and ganglia. Also, future techniques of selective iatrogenic disruption of the blood supply to portions of these structures e.g. stellate ganglion may be helpful in treating entities such as hyperhydrosis.     

Electrophysiological investigation of pathways in the middle cervical sympathetic ganglion of the turtle

Single unit responses in the middle cervical sympathetic ganglion ofEmys orbicularis to stimulation of other nerves and changes in these responses during the action of sympathetic blocking agents on the ganglion were investigated. The results showed that some fibers of the cervical sympathetic trunk of the turtle are interrupted in this ganglion. Postganglionic fibers pass out of the ganglion and enter the lateral branch and the sympathetic trunk. Other fibers pass through the ganglion without interruption and, together with postganglionic fibers, leave the ganglion in the cervical sympathetic trunk in a cranial direction. The velocity of conduction of excitation along the preganglionic fibers is between 4–3 and 2–1.5 m/sec and along the postganglionic fibers between 4–2.6 and 0.7–0.5 m/sec (fibers of types B₂ and C). Synaptic delay in the fast-conducting fibers averages 6.6 msec. Preganglionic fast-conducting fibers form synaptic contacts on neurons with type B₂ axons, while preganglionic slow-conducting fibers form contacts on neurons with type C axons. Terminals of two preganglionic fibers differing very slightly in their threshold of excitability, and probably constituting the same group, converge on some neurons.A. A. Bogomolets Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Ukranian SSR, Kiev. Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 83–89, January–February, 1972.     

Degeneration and regeneration in the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion afterLatrodectus venom

Brain Cell Biology - The effects of the venom of the spider Latrodectus mactans hasselti on the superior cervical ganglion were studied in the guinea pig. Under anaesthesia the ganglion was bathed...     

Ultrastructure of interneuronal connections in the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion in cats

The structure of interneuronal synapses in the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion was studied in cats under normal conditions and after division of the cervical sympathetic nerves and removal of spinal ganglia T₁₂–L₂. A definite number of dendro-dendritic and dendro-somatic junctions is observed in the ganglion and most of them remained intact after operations of both types; they are probably synapses formed by dendrites of neurons located in the ganglion. Synapses of this sort participate in the formation of nest-like complexes, consisting of consecutive junctions of one neuron with several dendrites. The formation of such complexes may provide the anatomical basis for synchronization of rhythmic neuronal activity in the cellular glomeruli of the ganglion. The results of an ultrastructural study of dendro-dendritic junctions suggests that they are synaptic in nature. Some dendro-dendritic junctions underwent degeneration after both types of operation and are probably endings of neurons in spinal ganglia. Wide club-like structures, probably receptor endings, formed by dendrites of afferent neurons of spinal ganglia, also are found in the ganglion. These structures lie freely in the stoma of the ganglion or form contacts with axon terminals and dendrites of neurons located in the ganglion; some of them degenerate after removal of spinal ganglia T₁₂–L₂.A. A. Bogomolets Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, Kiev. Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 299–306, May–June, 1981.