The peripheral distribution of trigeminal nerve fibres in the rat temporomandibular joint studied by an anterograde axonal transport method with wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase.

Wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase was injected into the trigeminal ganglion to trace the peripheral distribution of the nerve fibres in the temporomandibular joint. It was transported anterogradely along trigeminal nerve fibres. Horseradish-peroxidase-labelled nerve fibres were found in the anterior and posterior bands of the articular disc, and terminated as nerve endings near the intermediate zone of the disc. However, the intermediate zone itself did not contain any nerve endings. Other nerve fibres penetrated from the subsynovial layer into the synovial membrane and also terminated as nerve endings close to the articular cavity. Thus, this method is suitable for tracing peripheral nerve fibres and nerve endings originating in the trigeminal ganglion.