Ganglion cells and their satellites in experimental trigeminal schwannomas in the rat.

Ten neurinomas of ganglion semilunare nervi trigemini induced in rats with ethylnitrosourea contained numerous neurons entrapped into solid neoplastic tissue. Ganglion cells were mostly well preserved and presented the receptors to the lectin Con A, i.e. the ability for its binding to alpha-glucose and alpha-mannose. Positive GFAP immunoreaction in neuronal satellite cells suggests that the function of satellites corresponds to that of intracerebral astrocytes and that the preservation of ganglion cells depends on their satellites.