Macro- and microstructure of the superior cervical ganglion in dogs, cats and horses during maturation.

The superior cervical ganglion (SCG) provides sympathetic input to the head and neck, its relation with mandible, submandibular glands, eyes (second and third order control) and pineal gland being demonstrated in laboratory animals. In addition, the SCG's role in some neuropathies can be clearly seen in Horner's syndrome. In spite of several studies published involving rats and mice, there is little morphological descriptive and comparative data of SCG from large mammals. Thus, we investigated the SCG's macro- and microstructural organization in medium (dogs and cats) and large animals (horses) during a very specific period of the post-natal development, namely maturation (from young to adults). The SCG of dogs, cats and horses were spindle shaped and located deeply into the bifurcation of the common carotid artery, close to the distal vagus ganglion and more related to the internal carotid artery in dogs and horses, and to the occipital artery in cats. As to macromorphometrical data, that is ganglion length, there was a 23.6% increase from young to adult dogs, a 1.8% increase from young to adult cats and finally a 34% increase from young to adult horses. Histologically, the SCG's microstructure was quite similar between young and adult animals and among the 3 species. The SCG was divided into distinct compartments (ganglion units) by capsular septa of connective tissue. Inside each ganglion unit the most prominent cellular elements were ganglion neurons, glial cells and small intensely fluorescent cells, comprising the ganglion's morphological triad. Given this morphological arrangement, that is a summation of all ganglion units, SCG from dogs, cats and horses are better characterized as a ganglion complex rather than following the classical ganglion concept. During maturation (from young to adults) there was a 32.7% increase in the SCG's connective capsule in dogs, a 25.8% increase in cats and a 33.2% increase in horses. There was an age-related increase in the neuronal profile size in the SCG from young to adult animals, that is a 1.6-fold, 1.9-fold and 1.6-fold increase in dogs, cats and horses, respectively. On the other hand, there was an age-related decrease in the nuclear profile size of SCG neurons from young to adult animals (0.9-fold, 0.7-fold and 0.8-fold in dogs, cats and horses, respectively). Ganglion connective capsule is composed of 2 or 3 layers of collagen fibres in juxtaposition and, as observed in light microscopy and independently of the animal's age, ganglion neurons were organised in ganglionic units containing the same morphological triad seen in light microscopy.

Modulation of the developing rat sympathetic GABAA receptor by Zn++, benzodiazepines, barbiturates and ethanol.

We have examined the effects of GABA and several GABAA receptor modulators on isolated rat (1-160 days) superior cervical ganglion (SCG) neurons with whole-cell recordings. The neurons were sensitive to GABA within 12 h after birth, and the relationship between the current amplitude and GABA concentration (GABA50 = 19 microM) in these newborn neurons was fitted with a Hill coefficient close to 1.0. Adult neurons, on the other hand, had a GABA50 value of 30 microM, and the slope was steeper and fitted with a Hill coefficient of 1.6. Unlike the results of previous studies in cultured SCG neurons, we found that the concentration of Zn++ that reduced the response by 50% was 37 +/- 12 microM in newborns and 43 +/- 6 microM in adults. Bicuculline (10 microM) inhibited the current by 41 +/- 6% and 36 +/- 11% in newborn and adult neurons, respectively. With 5 microM GABA, diazepam and pentobarbital potentiated the response in newborn and adult neurons. No changes were found in the sensitivity of the receptor for these ligands, but their efficacy was enhanced 2-fold during development. Diazepam shifted the relationship between GABA and the response to the left in all the neurons studied. Ethanol (40 mM) reduced the amplitude of the GABA current to 64 +/- 12% of control in newborn neurons and to 85 +/- 4% in adult neurons. The inhibitory effect of 100 mM ethanol on the GABA current was noncompetitive. Addition of a very large concentration of ethanol (850 mM) to newborn neurons potentiated the response to 164 +/- 13% of control.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)