Kawano M
First Department of Anatomy, Osaka City University Medical School, Japan.
Osaka City Med J. 1993 Jun;39(1):25-33.
The spinal nucleus of bulbocavernosus (SNB) is located in the anterior horn of the lower lumbar and upper sacral segments of the spinal cord and plays a significant role in the regulation of external sphincters and other muscles of the urogenital tract and rectum. The present study examined characteristic features of peptidergic input to this nucleus in rat using a double immunostaining method at both light and electron microscopic levels, focused on an analysis of relationship between cholinergic motoneurons and neuropeptide Y (NPY) axon terminals in the SNB. At the light microscopic level, NPY immunoreactive terminals were frequently distributed in the SNB and some were in the vicinity of the cholinergic cells. At the electron microscopic level, some of NPY immunoreactive terminals were seen to form synaptic contacts with cholinergic neurons on their somata and dendrites in the SNB. These findings suggest that NPY terminals are involved in the functioning of cholinergic SNB motoneurons via the synapse.
球海绵体肌脊髓核（SNB）位于脊髓腰骶段和骶上段的前角，在调节尿道外括约肌及泌尿生殖道和直肠的其他肌肉方面发挥着重要作用。本研究采用光镜和电镜水平的双重免疫染色方法，研究了大鼠该核团肽能输入的特征，重点分析了SNB中胆碱能运动神经元与神经肽Y（NPY）轴突终末之间的关系。在光镜水平，NPY免疫反应性终末频繁分布于SNB，部分位于胆碱能细胞附近。在电镜水平，可见部分NPY免疫反应性终末在SNB与胆碱能神经元的胞体和树突形成突触联系。这些发现提示，NPY终末通过突触参与胆碱能SNB运动神经元的功能活动。
