Coburn R F, Kalia M P
J Comp Neurol. 1986 Dec 15;254(3):341-51. doi: 10.1002/cne.902540307.
The present series of experiments was designed to study details of the morphology and connectivity of functionally identified cells located in the paratracheal ganglia of the ferret. The morphology of 11 spiking (AH cells) and seven nonspiking (type B cells) ganglion cells was examined. Intra-axonally injected horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was used as the label. Each spiking and nonspiking cell was identified by intracellular recording prior to the HRP injection. "Whole mount preparations" were processed for HRP histochemistry with diaminobenzidine as the chromogen. HRP-labeled cell bodies of both the spiking AH and nonspiking type B neurons demonstrated similar morphological features. Both types of ganglion cells showed axons arising from a small, ill-defined axon hillock which exited from the cell as single or multiple branches of equal diameter and coursed unidirectionally through the interganglionic nerve trunk to an adjacent ganglion; short, fine, tapering processes (presumptive dendrites) in the immediate vicinity of the injected cell; and processes extending out of the ganglion cell perpendicular to the interganglionic nerve trunk which could be followed into the smooth muscle. Extraperikaryal injections of HRP into a ganglion retrogradely labeled perikarya in the adjacent ganglia. These results demonstrate that in airway ganglia the morphology of spiking and nonspiking neurons is remarkably similar despite electrophysiological differences. In addition it appears that ganglion cells project to adjacent ganglia and to smooth muscle by means of independent axonal processes. These morphological features of the ganglion cells in airways and the trajectories of their axons correspond to known features of their physiology: i.e., the axon of a ganglion cell travels unidirectionally toward the adjacent ganglion and arborizes there, providing anatomical evidence of communication between ganglia via the interganglionic nerve trunk; and the spiking and nonspiking neurons possess similar morphological features that are typical of ganglion cells described in other systems, such as in the myenteric plexus.
本系列实验旨在研究雪貂气管旁神经节中功能已明确的细胞的形态和连接细节。对11个产生动作电位的（AH细胞）和7个不产生动作电位的（B型细胞）神经节细胞的形态进行了检查。轴突内注射辣根过氧化物酶（HRP）作为标记物。在注射HRP之前，通过细胞内记录来识别每个产生动作电位和不产生动作电位的细胞。以二氨基联苯胺作为显色剂，对“整装标本”进行HRP组织化学处理。产生动作电位的AH神经元和不产生动作电位的B型神经元的HRP标记细胞体显示出相似的形态特征。两种类型的神经节细胞都显示轴突起源于一个小的、界限不清的轴丘，轴丘从细胞发出时为单支或多支等径分支，单向穿过神经节间神经干到达相邻神经节；在注射细胞紧邻处有短而细、逐渐变细的突起（推测为树突）；以及从神经节细胞垂直于神经节间神经干延伸出来并可追踪到平滑肌中的突起。将HRP额外注射到神经节周围会逆行标记相邻神经节中的细胞体。这些结果表明，在气道神经节中，尽管存在电生理差异，但产生动作电位和不产生动作电位的神经元的形态非常相似。此外，神经节细胞似乎通过独立的轴突过程投射到相邻神经节和平滑肌。气道中神经节细胞的这些形态特征及其轴突的走行轨迹与它们已知的生理学特征相对应：即神经节细胞的轴突单向朝相邻神经节行进并在那里分支，为神经节之间通过神经节间神经干进行通讯提供了解剖学证据；并且产生动作电位和不产生动作电位的神经元具有与其他系统（如肌间神经丛）中描述的神经节细胞典型特征相似的形态特征。
