The distribution of motor and proprioceptive neurons was investigated in the trigeminal nervous system of wild-type and Brn-3a knockout mice at embryonic day 18.5 and postnatal day 0. We found that the trigeminal motor nucleus (Mo5) contained abundant motoneurons in wild-type (mean number +/- SD per section = 128 +/- 22, range = 93-167) and knockout (mean number +/- SD per section = 121 +/- 23,...

Hyperexcitable reflex blinks are a cardinal sign of Parkinson's disease. The first step in the circuit linking the basal ganglia and brainstem reflex blink circuits is the inhibitory nigrostriatal pathway (Basso et al., 1996). The current study reports the circuits linking the superior colliculus (SC) to trigeminal reflex blink circuits. Microstimulation of the deep layers of the SC suppresses ...

Corneal primary afferent neurons that respond to drying of the ocular surface have been previously characterized and found to respond to innocuous cooling, menthol, and hyperosmotic stimuli. The purpose of the present study was to examine the receptive field properties of second-order neurons in the trigeminal nucleus that respond to drying of the ocular surface. Single-unit electrophysiologica...

Peripheral and central sensitizations are phenomena that occur during migraine. The role of pentin, a migraine preventive drug, on central sensitization remains unclear. In this study, a rat model of migraine was established by electrical stimulation of the trigeminal ganglion, and the an-imals were given intragastric gabapentin. Changes in amino acid content in the cerebrospinal fluid and prot...

Most CNS systems, including the trigeminal-somatosensory system, develop via a hierarchical order (from the periphery and up the neuraxis). We tested the hypothesis that development of the trigeminal system can proceed via a nonhierarchical mechanism (i.e., that neuronogenesis can occur postnatally). Preweanling rats were perfused, and brain sections were stained with cresyl violet or immunolab...

We examined the sequence of neural responses to the hypotension, bradycardia, and apnea evoked by intravenous administration of 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin). Functional magnetic resonance imaging signal changes were assessed in nine isoflurane-anesthetized cats during baseline and after a bolus intravenous low dose (10 microg/kg) or high dose (20-30 microg/kg) of 5-hydroxytryptamine. In all ...

Neurotrophic keratitis (also called neurotrophic keratopathy) (NTK) is a degenerative disease of the cornea, accompanied with neurogenic inflammation. It caused by sensitive innervation loss trigeminal nerve and characterized reduced sensitivity cornea retardation its healing process. NTC-causing damage to can occur at different levels-from nucleus terminals located in be ocular systemic diseas...

The trigeminal sensory innervation of the major cerebral vessels is thought to carry the nociceptive information during a migraine headache, and this pain is usually referred to the forehead area. Using retrograde tracing techniques, we have described the distribution of sensory trigeminal cells that innervate the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and the forehead. Nearest-neighbor analysis of the o...

Trigeminal neuropathic pain (TNP) and temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are thought to have fundamentally different etiologies. It has been proposed that TNP arises through damage to, or pressure on, somatosensory afferents in the trigeminal nerve, whereas TMD results primarily from peripheral nociceptor activation. Because some reports suggest that neuropathic pain is associated with changes i...