Abstract
Most nerve endings on glomus cells of the carotid body are part of sensory neurons whose cell bodies are located in the petrosal ganglion of the glossopharyngeal nerve (5,6,9,11,13,15,17). Ultrastructural analyses of the synaptic connections in the carotid body of the rat (11), cat (13,17), duck (16), and chicken (10) have shown that some sensory nerve endings and glomus cells are interconnected by reciprocal synapses. At such synapses a sensory nerve ending is presynaptic to a glomus cell at one synapse and postsynaptic to the same cell at an adjacent synapse. Sensory nerve endings presynaptic to glomus cells exhibit the morphologic characteristics of nerve endings that release a neurotransmitter: small (synaptic) vesicles in nerve terminals are present near presynaptic dense projections, which are part of synaptic junctions. Ultrastructural studies also have shown that nerve endings on glomus cells are remarkably variable in size, shape, and synaptic vesicle content (3,15). In the present study we used morphometric methods to measure changes in the synaptic vesicle content of sensory nerve endings that accompany increased chemoreceptor activity. In addition, using quantitative methods we assessed the variability of sensory nerve ending morphology.
Dr. Robert A. Mitchell collaborated on the neurophysiological studies. I want to thank Ms. Barbara Sternitzke and Ms. Sheila Trumble for technical assistance and Dr. Jon Goerke for his help in writing the computer program. This research was supported in part by NIH Grants HL-06285 and Pulmonary SCOR HL-14201 from the U.S. Public Health Sercive.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Acker, H., Lübbers, D.W.: in: The Peripheral Arterial Chemoreceptors. Purves, M.J. (ed.). New York: Cambridge U. Pr. 1975, pp. 325–343
Acker, H., Lübbers, D.W., Purves, M.J.: Pflugers Arch. 329, 136–155 (1971)
Biscoe, T.J., Pallot, D.: Experientia 28, 33–34 (1972)
Biscoe, T.J., Bradley, G.W., Purves, M.J.: J. Physiol. 208, 99–120 (1970)
Castro, F. de: Trav. Lab. Rech. Biol. Univ. Madrid 25, 330–380 (1928)
Fidone, S.J., Stensaas, L.J., Zapata, P.: J. Neurobiol. 6, 423–427 (1975)
Fidone, S.J., Weintraub, S.T., Stavinoha, W.B.: J. Neurochem. 26, 1047–1049 (1976)
Hellström, S.: in: Nonstratal Dopaminergic Neurons. Costa, E., Gessa, G.L. (eds.). New York: Raven Press 1977 (in press)
Hess, A., Zapata, P.: Fed. Proc. 31, 1365–1382 (1972)
King, A.S., King, D.Z., Hodges, R.D., Henry, J.: Cell Tissue Res. 162, 459–473 (1975)
McDonald, D.M., Mitchell, R.A.: J. Neurocytol. 4, 177–230 (1975)
McDonald, D.M., Mitchell, R.A.: in: Morphology and Mechanisms of Chemoreceptors. Paintal, A.S. (ed.). Delhi: Vallabhai Patel Chest Institute 1976, pp. 248–266
McDonald, D.M., Mitchell, R.A.: Brain Res. 1977 (in press)
Mitchell, R.A., McDonald, D.M.: The Peripheral Arterial Chemoreceptors. Purves, M.J. (ed.). New York: Cambridge U. Pr. 1975, pp. 269–291
Nishi, K., Stensaas, L.J.: Cell Tissue Res. 154, 303–319 (1974)
Osborne, M.P., Butler, P.J.: Nature 254, 701–703 (1975)
Smith, P.G., Mills, E.: Brain Res. 113, 178–194 (19s76)
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1977 Springer-Verlag Berlin · Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
McDonald, D. (1977). Ultrastructural Changes in Sensory Nerve Endings Accompanying Increased Chemoreceptor Activity: A Morphometric Study of the Rat Carotid Body. In: Acker, H., Fidone, S., Pallot, D., Eyzaguirre, C., Lübbers, D.W., Torrance, R.W. (eds) Chemoreception in the Carotid Body. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-66755-8_29
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-66755-8_29
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-08455-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-66755-8
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive