The superior laryngeal nerve and the superior laryngeal artery

Length, diameter and anastomoses of the nervus vagus and its ganglion inferius were measured 44 halved heads. On the average, 8.65 fiber bundles of the vagus nerve leave the retro-olivary area. In the area of the jugular foramen is the near superior ganglion of the 10th cranial nerve. In this area were found 1.48 (mean value) anastomoses with the 9th cranial nerve. 11.34 mm below the margo terminalis sigmoidea branches off the ramus internus of the accessory nerve which has a length of 9.75 mm. Further anastomoses with the 10th cranial nerve were found. The inferior ganglion of the 10th nerve had a length of 25.47 mm and a diameter of 3.46 mm. Five mm below the ganglion the 10th nerve had a width of 2.9 and a thickness of 1.5 mm. The mean length of the superior sympathetic ganglion was 26.6 mm, its width 7.2 and its thickness 3.4 mm. In nearly all specimens anastomoses of the superior sympathetic ganglion with the ansa cervicalis profunda and the inferior ganglion of the 10th cranial nerve were found. The superior laryngeal nerve branches off about 36 mm below the margo terminalis sigmoidea. The width of this nerve was 1.9 mm, its thickness 0.8 mm on the right and 1.0 mm on the left side. The division in the internal and external rami was found about 21 mm below its origin. Between the n. vagus and thyreohyoid membrane the ramus internus had a length of 64 mm, the length of external ramus between the vagal nerve and the inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscle was 89 mm. Its mean length below the thyreopharyngeal part was 10.7 mm, 8.6 branchlets to the cricothyroid muscle were counted. The superior laryngeal artery had its origin in 80% of cases in the superior thyroideal artery, in 6.8% this vessel was a branch of the external carotid artery. Its average outer diameter was 1.23 mm on the right side and 1.39 mm on the left. The length of this vessel between its origin and the thyreohyoid membrane was 34 mm. In 7% on the right side and in 13% on the left, the superior laryngeal artery reached the larynx through a foramen thyreoideum. Ranges of diameters and lengths of vessels and nerves in the larynx are given.     

Cervical preganglionic sympathetic nerve activity and chemoreflexes in the cat

The role of chemoreflexes originating from carotid body and central chemoreceptors in the regulation of cervical preganglionic sympathetic nerve (PSN) activity was studied in anesthetized and spontaneously breathing cats. PSN efferents which responded to hypoxia were selected for the study. The PSN activity, breath-by-breath inspiratory tidal volume, tracheal PO2 and PCO2, and arterial systemic blood pressure were recorded simultaneously. The responses of PSN efferents to transient changes in and steady-state levels of arterial PO2 and PCO2 and to graded bolus injections of intravenous sodium cyanide (50-100 micrograms), nicotine (50-100 micrograms), and dopamine hydrochloride (30-60 micrograms) were compared before and after bilateral section of carotid sinus nerves (CSN). CSN section raised the base-line PSN activity and practically eliminated the responses to brief pharmacological stimuli, but it did not eliminate the responses to transient changes in and steady-state levels of arterial PO2 and PCO2. However, CSN section diminished PSN responses and abolished ventilatory responses to hypoxia. Thus the PSN response to hypoxia was partly independent of peripheral chemoreflex and of respiratory drive. We conclude that carotid body chemoreflex elicits fast PSN responses and that a moderate decline in arterial PO2 causes an additional slow, direct excitation of sympathetic nervous system. The latter indicates O2 chemosensitivity of the system in the physiological range of arterial PO2. This O2-sensing property may allow sympathetic nervous system to initiate chemoreflex responses independent of the peripheral chemoreceptors.     

Swallowing reflex and brain stem neurons activated by superior laryngeal nerve stimulation in the mouse

The purpose of the present study was to identify vagal subnuclei that participate in reflex swallowing in response to electrical stimulation of the left superior laryngeal nerve (SLN). SLN stimulation at 10 Hz evoked primary peristalsis, including oropharyngeal and esophageal peristalsis, and LES relaxation. It also induced c-fos expression in interneurons in the interstitial (SolI), intermediate (SolIM), central (SolCe), dorsomedial (SolDM) and commissural (SolC) solitary subnuclei. Neurons in parvicellular reticular nucleus (PCRt) and area postrema (AP) and motoneurons in the semicompact (NAsc), loose (NAl), and compact (NAc) formations of the nucleus ambiguus and both rostral (DMVr) and caudal (DMVc) parts of the dorsal motor nucleus of vagus were also activated. The activated neurons represent all neurons concerned with afferent SLN-mediated reflexes, including the swallowing-related neurons. SLN stimulation at 5 Hz elicited oropharyngeal and LES but not esophageal responses and evoked c-fos expression in neurons in SolI, SolIM, SolDM, PCRt, AP, NAsc, NAl, and DMVc but not in SolCe, NAc, or DMVr. These data are consistent with the role of SolI, SolIM, SolDM, NAsc, NAl, and DMVc circuit in oropharyngeal peristalsis and LES relaxation and SolCe, NAc, DMVc, and DMVr in esophageal peristalsis and LES responses.     

Effect of sympathetic nerve stimulation on myocardial reactive hyperemia

It has been established in experiments on 25 dogs that the peak of reactive hyperemia (RH) of the myocardium cannot be regarded as an absolute criterion of the coronary dilatory reserves. Stimulation of the stellate ganglion under the conditions of arterial blood pressure stabilization increased the peak of RH. After-effect of the sympathetic nerve stimulation also led to a rise in the peak of RH as compared with control.     

Influences of superior laryngeal afferent stimulation on expiratory activity in cats

The effects of superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) stimulation on the activity of the expiratory muscles and medullary expiration-related (ER) neurons were investigated in 24 pentobarbital-anesthetized cats. In some experiments the animals were also paralyzed and artificially ventilated. Sustained tetanic stimulation of SLN consistently caused an apneic response associated with the appearance of tonic CO2-dependent activity in the expiratory muscles and in ER neurons located in the caudal ventral respiratory group (VRG) and the B?tzinger complex. Single shocks or brief tetani at the same stimulation intensities failed to evoke excitatory responses in the expiratory muscles and in the vast majority of ER neurons tested. At higher stimulation strengths, single shocks or short tetani elicited excitatory responses in the expiratory muscles (20- to 35-ms latency) and in the majority of ER neurons of the caudal VRG (7.5- to 15.5-ms latency). These responses were obtained only during the expiratory phase and proved to be CO2 independent. On the contrary, only inhibitory responses were evoked in the activity of B?tzinger complex neurons. The observed tonic expiratory activity most likely represents a disinhibition phenomenon due to the suppression of inspiratory activity; activation of expiratory muscles at higher stimulation intensities appears to be a polysynaptic reflex mediated by ER neurons of the caudal VRG but not by B?tzinger complex neurons.     

Functional differentiation of superior laryngeal nerve afferents in cats

Electrophysiological characteristics of superior laryngeal nerve fibers and reflex responses in respiratory motor nerves and the recurrent nerve were investigated in acute experiments on cats under superficial pentobarbital anesthesia. Analysis of the compound action potential in the superior laryngeal nerve revealed three distinct groups of afferent fibers subserving different functions: group A, responsible for proprioceptive mechanisms of coordination of activity of the laryngeal muscles; group A(₃), responsible for feedback mechanisms between the receptor apparatus of the mucous membrane and muscles of the larynx and bulbar respiratory neurons, and group A, responsible for the development of protective respiratory reflexes.A. A. Bogomolets Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, Kiev. Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 16, No. 6, pp. 777–783, November–December, 1984.     

Some physiological and biochemical features of striated muscles reinnervated by preganglionic sympathetic fibers

Skeletal muscle fibers can be reinnervated by motor cholinergic fibers, that is, functional connection can be achieved. However, functional connection implies not only the capacity of the nerve impulse to elicit a contractile response but also the capability of the reinnervating neurons to evoke particular modifications of the physiological and biological features of the muscles. In order to search for some of the modifications due to reinnervation by preganglionic sympathetic fibers, muscle contraction time was studied in three different preparations of adult cats: a) cricothyroid muscle reinnervated by preganglionic fibers; b) cricothyroideus reinnervated by its own nerve; and c) the corresponding normal neuromuscular preparation. The activities of malic dehydrogenase, of aldolase and pyruvic kinase were studied in these three preparations as well as in the denervated cricothyroid muscles. Reinnervation by preganglionic fibers prolonged the twich contraction time, whereas, self-reinnervation did not alter it. On the other hand, the activities of the three enzymes decreased as a result of denervation. In contrast, the muscle reinnervated with sympathetic preganglionic fibers partially recovered the normal level of malic dehydrogenase and the aldolase activities; but showed no modification in the level of pyruvic kinase activity. Conversely, in the muscle fibers reinnervated by their own nerve, the activity of the three enzymes returned to normal levels. The shortening of contraction time of the preganglionic reinnervated muscle correlates well with the features of the enzymic activities found in these muscles. It can be concluded: a) preganglionic sympathetic axons are able to achieve functional connections with striated muscles and b) considering the trophic effect, preganglionic fibers resemble the motor nerve supplying slow muscles.