Feline Ventricular Ganglion Cells

IN mammals, with the exception of artiodactyls and cetaceans, it is generally accepted that intrinsic cardiac ganglion cells are confined distally by the atrioventricular groove¹. This is interpreted as indicating that vagal influence is limited to the atrial and specialized tissues and this concept is supported by much physiological evidence. It has been suggested that, in dogs, the vagi exert a direct negative inotropic effect on the ventricles², although Furnival et al.³ found that this effect was relatively insignificant. Morphologists have, however, reported ventricular ganglion cells in primates^4–6. We offer here morphological evidence for the existence of ventricular ganglion cells in the cat.