Vagal preganglionic axons arborize in myenteric plexus into two patterns generating nitrergic and non-nitrergic postganglionic motor units

Study Purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate the patterns of interaction between preganglionic vagal efferents and the myenteric neurons of the stomach.

Data Collection: As part of the SPARC project, we are interested in understanding the correlations and causative relations between anatomical and functional characteristics of the stomach. Preganglionic efferents are one type of vagal innervation that is associated with the stomach. To characterize preganglionic efferents better, rats were given small injections of dextran biotin in the dmnX, and, after tracer transport, stomach whole mounts were collected. Specimens were processed for avidin-biotin permanent labeling, and neurites were then digitized for morphometry and mapping using Neurolucida neural tracing software. The samples reported here were also counter-stained for nNOS+ (cells of the myenteric plexus). The dataset consists of photomicrographs of the individual ganglia traversed by each of the 54 fibers analyzed. This dataset is an extension of a previous and larger dataset characterizing the morphometry of a set of 131 efferent fibers.

Primary Conclusion: The conclusion from this study is that vagal preganglionic efferent axons in the stomach largely interact specifically with either nNOS+ type cells or nNOS- type cells of the myenteric plexus, rather than interacting non-specifically with both types of cells.

Curator's Notes

Experimental Design: Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were given small injections of dextran biotin in the dmnX, and, after tracer transport, stomach whole mounts were collected. Specimens were processed for avidin-biotin permanent labeling, and neurites were then digitized for morphometry and mapping using Neurolucida neural tracing software. The samples reported here were also counter-stained for nNOS+. Photographs of the individual ganglia traversed by each fiber were analyzed to assess patterns of interaction between vagal preganglionic efferent axons and myenteric neurons. Analysis of photomicrographs to assess the interactions of vagal preganglionic efferent axons with the cells of the myenteric plexus of the stomach was performed.

Completeness: This dataset is a part of a larger study: "Mapping Stomach Autonomic Circuitry and Function for Neuromodulation of Gastric Disorders," and is an extension of a previous and larger dataset characterizing the morphometry of a set of 131 efferent fibers.

Subjects & Samples: Male (n=28) and female (n=3) Sprague-Dawley (RRID:RGD_737903) rats were used in this study.

Primary vs derivative data: The primary data is organized by the subject ID and then sample ID folders and contains microscopic images of the individual ganglia traversed by each fiber as .tif files. A subset of the identified afferents was traced with Neurolucida 360 and analyzed morphometrically. The tracings of these afferents are included in the primary folder in subject/sample subfolders. Image data (JPEG2000 and OME-TIFF) was derived from primary images (.tif). Primary images were converted with 20:1 compression to JPEG2000 (.jpx) by MBF Bioscience for web streaming and visualization on the SPARC Data Portal. Primary images were also converted with lossless compression to OME-TIFF (.tif) by MBF Bioscience.