Sensory innervation in the inner conical body of the vibrissal follicle-sinus complex of the rat

Representation of tactile scenes in the rodent barrel cortex

After half a century of research, the sensory features coded by neurons of the rodent barrel cortex remain poorly understood. Still, views of the sensory representation of whisker information are increasingly shifting from a labeled line representation of single-whisker deflections to a selectivity for specific elements of the complex statistics of the multi-whisker deflection patterns that take place during spontaneous rodent behavior - so called natural tactile scenes. Here we review the current knowledge regarding the coding of patterns of whisker stimuli by barrel cortex neurons, from responses to single-whisker deflections to the representation of complex tactile scenes. A number of multi-whisker tunings have already been identified, including center-surround feature extraction, angular tuning during edge-like multi-whisker deflections, and even tuning to specific statistical properties of the tactile scene such as the level of correlation across whiskers. However, a more general model of the representation of multi-whisker information in the barrel cortex is still missing. This is in part because of the lack of a human intuition regarding the perception emerging from a whisker system, but also because in contrast to other primary sensory cortices such as the visual cortex, the spatial feature selectivity of barrel cortex neurons rests on highly nonlinear interactions that remained hidden to classical receptive field approaches.

The mathematical whisker: A review of numerical models of the rat׳s vibrissa biomechanics

The vibrissal system of the rat refers to specialized hairs the animal uses for tactile sensory perception. Rats actively move their whiskers in a characteristic way called "whisking". Interaction with the environment produces elastic deformation of the whiskers, generating mechanical signals in the whisker-follicle complex. Advances in our understanding of the vibrissal complex biomechanics is of interest not only for the biological research field, but also for biomimetic approaches. The recent development of whisker numerical models has contributed to comprehending its sophisticated movements and its interactions with the follicle. The great diversity of behavioral patterns and complexities of the whisker-follicle ensemble encouraged the creation of many different biomechanical models. This review analyzes most of the whisker biomechanical models that have been developed so far. This review was written so as to render it accessible to readers coming from different research areas.

The anatomy, function, and development of mammalian Aβ low-threshold mechanoreceptors

Touch sensation is critical for our social and environmental interactions. In mammals, most discriminative light touch sensation is mediated by the Aβ low-threshold mechanoreceptors. Cell bodies of Aβ low-threshold mechanoreceptors are located in the dorsal root ganglia and trigeminal ganglia, which extend a central projection innervating the spinal cord and brain stem and a peripheral projection innervating the specialized mechanosensory end organs. These specialized mechanosensory end organs include Meissner's corpuscles, Pacinian corpuscles, lanceolate endings, Merkel cells, and Ruffini corpuscles. The morphologies and physiological properties of these mechanosensory end organs and their innervating neurons have been investigated for over a century. In addition, recent advances in mouse genetics have enabled the identification of molecular mechanisms underlying the development of Aβ low-threshold mechanoreceptors, which highlight the crucial roles of neurotrophic factor signaling and transcription factor activity in this process. Here, we will review the anatomy, physiological properties, and development of mammalian low-threshold Aβ mechanoreceptors.

Mechanical signals at the base of a rat vibrissa: the effect of intrinsic vibrissa curvature and implications for tactile exploration

Rats actively tap and sweep their large mystacial vibrissae (whiskers) against objects to tactually explore their surroundings. When a vibrissa makes contact with an object, it bends, and this bending generates forces and bending moments at the vibrissa base. Researchers have only recently begun to quantify these mechanical variables. The present study quantifies the forces and bending moments at the vibrissa base with a quasi-static model of vibrissa deflection. The model was validated with experiments on real vibrissae. Initial simulations demonstrated that almost all vibrissa-object collisions during natural behavior will occur with the concave side of the vibrissa facing the object, and we therefore paid particular attention to the role of the vibrissa's intrinsic curvature in shaping the forces at the base. Both simulations and experiments showed that vibrissae with larger intrinsic curvatures will generate larger axial forces. Simulations also demonstrated that the range of forces and moments at the vibrissal base vary over approximately three orders of magnitude, depending on the location along the vibrissa at which object contact is made. Both simulations and experiments demonstrated that collisions in which the concave side of the vibrissa faces the object generate longer-duration contacts and larger net forces than collisions with the convex side. These results suggest that the orientation of the vibrissa's intrinsic curvature on the mystacial pad may increase forces during object contact and provide increased sensitivity to detailed surface features.

How many hair follicles are innervated by one afferent axon? A confocal microscopic analysis of palisade endings in the auricular skin of thy1-YFP transgenic mouse

Hairs are known as a sensory apparatus for touch. Their follicles are innervated predominantly by palisade endings composed of longitudinal and circumferential lanceolate endings. However, little is known as to how their original primary neurons make up a part of the ending. In this study, innervation of the palisade endings was investigated in the auricular skin of thy1-YFP transgenic mouse. Major observations were 1) Only a small portion of PGP9.5-immunopositive axons showed YFP-positivity, 2) All of thy1-YFP-positive sensory axons were thick and myelinated, 3) Individual thy1-YFP-positive trunk axons innervated 4-54 hair follicles, 4) Most palisade endings had a gap of lanceolate ending arrangement, 5) PGP9.5-immunopositive 10-32 longitudinal lanceolate endings were closely arranged. Only a part of them were thy1-YFP-positive axons that originated from 1-3 afferents, and 6) Single nerve bundles of the dermal nerve network included both bidirectional afferents. Palisade endings innervated by multiple sensory neurons might be highly sensitive to hair movement.

Neuronal basis for object location in the vibrissa scanning sensorimotor system

An essential issue in perception is how the location of an object is estimated from tactile signals in the context of self-generated changes in sensor configuration. Here, we review the pathways and dynamics of neuronal signals that encode touch in the rodent vibrissa sensorimotor system. Rodents rhythmically scan an array of long, facial hairs across a region of interest. Behavioral evidence shows that these animals maintain knowledge of the azimuthal position of their vibrissae. Electrophysiological measurements have identified a reafferent signal of the azimuth that is coded in normalized coordinates, broadcast throughout primary sensory cortex and provides strong modulation of signals of vibrissa contact. Efferent signals in motor cortex report the range of the scan. Collectively, these signals allow the rodent to form a percept of object location.

Immunohistochemical comparison of whisker pad cutaneous innervation in Swiss Webster and hairless mice

To establish the mouse mutant, hairless (Hr), as a useful model for future analyses of target-ending interactions, we assessed the cutaneous innervation in the whisker pad after loss of primary hair targets. Postnatal (P) development of fur in Hr begins similarly to that of "normal" Swiss Webster (SW) mice. Around P10, hairs are shed and the follicles rendered permanently incompetent. Hair loss progresses rostrocaudally until the entire skin is denuded. Substantial alterations in the distribution and density of sensory and autonomic endings in the mystacial pad vibrissal and intervibrissal fur innervation were discovered. Pilo-neural complexes innervating fur hairs were dismantled in Hr. Epidermal innervation in SW was rich; only a few endings expressed growth-associated protein-43 kdal (GAP), suggesting limited changes in axonal elongation. Innervation in Hr formed a dense layer passing upward through the thickened epidermis, with substantial increases among all types of endings. Vibrissal follicle-sinus complexes were also hyperinnervated. Endings in Hr vibrissae and fur were strongly GAP-positive, suggesting reorganization of innervation. Dermal and vascular autonomic innervation in both strains co-localized tyrosine hydroxylase and neuropeptide Y, but only in Hr did neuropeptide Y co-localize calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and express GAP immunolabeling. Stereological quantitation of trigeminal ganglia revealed no differences in neuron number between Hr and SW, although there were small increases in cell volume in Hr trigeminal ganglion cells. These results suggested that a form of collateral sprouting was active in Hr mystacial pads, not in response to local injury, but as a result of loss of primary target tissues.

Using hardware models to quantify sensory data acquisition across the rat vibrissal array

Our laboratory investigates how animals acquire sensory data to understand the neural computations that permit complex sensorimotor behaviors. We use the rat whisker system as a model to study active tactile sensing; our aim is to quantitatively describe the spatiotemporal structure of incoming sensory information to place constraints on subsequent neural encoding and processing. In the first part of this paper we describe the steps in the development of a hardware model (a 'sensobot') of the rat whisker array that can perform object feature extraction. We show how this model provides insights into the neurophysiology and behavior of the real animal. In the second part of this paper, we suggest that sensory data acquisition across the whisker array can be quantified using the complete derivative. We use the example of wall-following behavior to illustrate that computing the appropriate spatial gradients across a sensor array would enable an animal or mobile robot to predict the sensory data that will be acquired at the next time step.

Biomechanical models for radial distance determination by the rat vibrissal system

Rats use active, rhythmic movements of their whiskers to acquire tactile information about three-dimensional object features. There are no receptors along the length of the whisker; therefore all tactile information must be mechanically transduced back to receptors at the whisker base. This raises the question: how might the rat determine the radial contact position of an object along the whisker? We developed two complementary biomechanical models that show that the rat could determine radial object distance by monitoring the rate of change of moment (or equivalently, the rate of change of curvature) at the whisker base. The first model is used to explore the effects of taper and inherent whisker curvature on whisker deformation and used to predict the shapes of real rat whiskers during deflections at different radial distances. Predicted shapes closely matched experimental measurements. The second model describes the relationship between radial object distance and the rate of change of moment at the base of a tapered, inherently curved whisker. Together, these models can account for recent recordings showing that some trigeminal ganglion (Vg) neurons encode closer radial distances with increased firing rates. The models also suggest that four and only four physical variables at the whisker base -- angular position, angular velocity, moment, and rate of change of moment -- are needed to describe the dynamic state of a whisker. We interpret these results in the context of our evolving hypothesis that neural responses in Vg can be represented using a state-encoding scheme that includes combinations of these four variables.

Adaptations in the structure and innervation of follicle-sinus complexes to an aquatic environment as seen in the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris)

Florida manatees are large-bodied aquatic herbivores that use large tactile vibrissae for several purposes. Facial vibrissae are used to forage in a turbid water environment, and the largest perioral vibrissae can also grasp and manipulate objects. Other vibrissae distributed over the entire postfacial body appear to function as a lateral line system. All manatee vibrissae emanate from densely innervated follicle-sinus complexes (FSCs) like those in other mammals, although proportionately larger commensurate with the caliber of the vibrissae. As revealed by immunofluorescence, all manatee FSCs have many types of C, Adelta and Abeta innervation including Merkel, club, and longitudinal lanceolate endings at the level of the ring sinus, but they lack other types such as reticular and spiny endings at the level of the cavernous sinus. As in non-whisking terrestrial species, the inner conical bodies of facial FSCs are well innervated but lack Abeta-fiber terminals. Importantly, manatee FSCs have two unique types of Abeta-fiber endings. First, all of the FSCs have exceptionally large-caliber axons that branch to terminate as novel, gigantic spindle-like endings located at the upper ring sinus. Second, facial FSCs have smaller caliber Abeta fibers that terminate in the trabeculae of the cavernous sinus as an ending that resembles a Golgi tendon organ. In addition, the largest perioral vibrissae, which are used for grasping, have exceptionally well-developed medullary cores that have a structure and dense small-fiber innervation resembling that of tooth pulp. Other features of the epidermis and upper dermis structure and innervation differ from that seen in terrestrial mammals.

Responses of Trigeminal Ganglion Neurons during Natural Whisking Behaviors in the Awake Rat

Rats use their whiskers to locate and discriminate tactile features of their environment. Mechanoreceptors surrounding each whisker encode and transmit sensory information from the environment to the brain via afferents whose cell bodies lie in the trigeminal ganglion (Vg). These afferents are classified as rapidly (RA) or slowly (SA) adapting by their response to stimulation. The activity of these cells in the awake behaving rat is yet unknown. Therefore, we developed a method to chronically record Vg neurons during natural whisking behaviors and found that all cells exhibited (1) no neuronal activity when the whiskers were not in motion, (2) increased activity when the rat whisked, with activity correlated to whisk frequency, and (3) robust increases in activity when the whiskers contacted an object. Moreover, we observed distinct differences in the firing rates between RA and SA cells, suggesting that they encode distinct aspects of stimuli in the awake rat.

TrkC kinase expression in distinct subsets of cutaneous trigeminal innervation and nonneuronal cells

Neurotrophin-activated receptor tyrosine kinases (Trks) regulate sensory neuron survival, differentiation, and function. To permanently mark cells that ever express TrkC-kinase, mice with lacZ and GFP reporters of Cre recombinase activity were crossed with mice having IRES-cre inserted into the kinase-containing exon of the TrkC gene. Prenatal reporter expression matched published locations of TrkC-expression. Postnatally, more trigeminal neurons and types of mystacial pad innervation expressed reporter than immunodetectable TrkC, indicating that some innervation transiently expresses TrkC-kinase. Reporter-tagged neurons include all those that immunolabel for TrkC, a majority for TrkB, and a small proportion for TrkA. TrkA neurons expressing TrkC-reporter range from small to large size and supply well-defined types of mystacial pad innervation. Virtually all small neurons and C-fiber innervation requires TrkA to develop, but TrkC-reporter is present in only a small proportion that uniquely innervates piloneural complexes of guard hairs and inner conical bodies of vibrissa follicle-sinus complexes. TrkC-reporter is expressed in nearly all presumptive Adelta innervation, which is all eliminated in TrkA knockouts and partially eliminated in TrkC knockouts. Many types of Abeta-fiber innervation express TrkC-reporter including all Merkel, spiny, and circumferentially oriented lanceolate endings, and some reticular and longitudinally oriented lanceolate endings. Only Merkel endings require TrkC to develop and survive, whereas the other endings require TrkA and/or TrkB. Thus, TrkC is required for the existence of some types of innervation that express TrkC, but may have different functions in others. Many types of nonneuronal cells affiliated with hair follicles and blood vessels also express TrkC-reporter but lack immunodetectable TrkC.

Encoding of vibrissal active touch

Mammals acquire much of their sensory information by actively moving their sensory organs. Yet, the principles of encoding by active sensing are not known. Here we investigated the encoding principles of active touch by rat whiskers (vibrissae). We induced artificial whisking in anesthetized rats and recorded from first-order neurons in the trigeminal ganglion. During active touch, first-order trigeminal neurons presented a rich repertoire of responses, which could not be inferred from their responses to passive deflection stimuli. Individual neurons encoded four specific events: whisking, contact with object, pressure against object, and detachment from object. Whisking-responsive neurons fired at specific deflection angles, reporting the actual whiskers' position with high precision. Touch-responsive neurons encoded the horizontal coordinate of objects' position by spike timing. These findings suggest two specific encoding-decoding schemes for horizontal object position in the vibrissal system.

Somatosensory organization and behavior in naked mole-rats: II. Peripheral structures, innervation, and selective lack of neuropeptides associated with thermoregulation and pain

African naked mole-rats are subterranean rodents that have a robust orienting response to stimulation of unique vibrissa-like body hairs that are widely spaced over an otherwise hairless skin. To determine whether these large body hairs have a specialized organization similar to facial vibrissae, the structure and innervation of facial vibrissa follicles, body hair follicles, and intervening skin in naked mole-rats was compared with that in rats and a furred African mole-rat species (the common mole-rat). Immunofluorescence and lectin-binding analyses revealed that the body hair follicles in naked mole-rats were exceptionally large and well innervated, similar to guard hairs of furred species. However, these body vibrissae lacked the anatomic specializations and unique types of innervation affiliated with follicle sinus complexes of facial vibrissae. In contrast to the furred species, naked mole-rats had a paucity of Abeta-fiber Merkel endings at all peripheral locations. Naked mole-rats also were completely lacking in cutaneous C-fibers immunoreactive for substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide. In contrast, the hairless skin of the naked mole-rats had an exceptional abundance of presumptive Adelta-fibers. The unusual features of the cutaneous innervation in naked mole-rats are presumably adaptations to their subterranean environment and that they are the only known poikilothermic mammal. The features of this mammalian model system provide unique opportunities to discriminate mechanisms related to tactile spatial orientation, vascular regulation, and nociception.

Similarities and differences in the innervation of mystacial vibrissal follicle-sinus complexes in the rat and cat: a confocal microscopic study

Our confocal three-dimensional analyses revealed substantial differences in the innervation to vibrissal follicle-sinus complexes (FSCs) in the rat and cat. This is the first study using anti-protein gene product 9.5 (PGP9.5) immunolabeling and confocal microscopy on thick sections to examine systematically the terminal arborizations of the various FSC endings and to compare them between two species, the rat and the cat, that have similar-appearing FSCs but different exploratory behaviors, such as existence or absence of whisking. At least eight distinct endings were clearly discriminated three dimensionally in this study: 1) Merkel endings at the rete ridge collar, 2) circumferentially oriented lanceolate endings, 3) Merkel endings at the level of the ring sinus, 4) longitudinally oriented lanceolate endings, 5) club-like ringwulst endings, 6) reticular endings, 7) spiny endings, and 8) encapsulated endings. Of particular contrast, each nerve fiber that innervates Merkel cells at the level of the ring sinus in the rat usually terminates as a single, relatively small cluster of endings, whereas in the cat they terminate en passant as several large clusters of endings. Also, individual arbors of reticular endings in the rat ramify parallel to the vibrissae and distribute over wide, overlapping territories, whereas those in the cat ramify perpendicular and terminate in tightly circumscribed territories. Otherwise, the inner conical body of rat FSCs contains en passant, circumferentially oriented lanceolate endings that are lacking in the cat, whereas the cavernous sinus of the cat has en passant corpuscular endings that are lacking in the rat. Surprisingly, the one type of innervation that is the most similar in both species is a major set of simple, club-like endings, located at the attachment of the ringwulst, that had not previously been recognized as a morphologically unique type of innervation. Although the basic structure of the FSCs is similar in the rat and cat, the numerous differences in innervation suggest that these species would have different tactile capabilities and perceptions possibly related to their different vibrissa-related exploratory behaviors.

Assessment of cutaneous innervation by skin biopsies

Skin biopsies that are immunostained to identify nerve fibers provide a new tool for assessing the small caliber nociceptors that terminate in the epidermis, as well as other cutaneous nerve fibers. Skin biopsies can be performed in multiple sites and can be repeated over time, so that a spatiotemporal profile of epidermal innervation can be constructed. This approach may help assess the progression of fiber loss in disease and of regeneration and re-innervation with treatment.

Innervation of the digit on the forepaw of the raccoon

The innervation of the digits on the raccoon forepaw was examined by using immunochemistry for protein gene product 9.5, calcitonin-gene related peptide, substance P, neuropeptide-Y, tyrosine hydroxylase, and neurofilament protein. The larger-caliber axons in the ventral glabrous skin terminate as Pacinian corpuscles deep in the dermis, small corpuscles and Merkel endings around the base of dermal papillae, and Merkel endings on rete pegs in dermal papillae. Extensive fine-caliber innervation terminates in the epidermis and on the microvasculature. The innervation is more dense in the distal than in the proximal volar pads. Pacinian endings are also concentrated in the transverse crease separating the distal and proximal pads. In the dorsal hairy skin, hair follicles are well innervated with piloneural complexes. Merkel innervation is located under slight epidermal elevations and in some large Merkel rete pegs located at the apex of transverse skin folds just proximal to the claw. No cutaneous Ruffini corpuscles were found anywhere on the digit. The claw is affiliated with dense medial and lateral beds of Pacinian endings, bouquets of highly branched Ruffini-like endings at the transition from the distal phalanx and unmyelinated innervation in the skin around the perimeter. Encapsulated endings are located at the lateral edge of the articular surface of the distal phalanx. Extensive fine-caliber innervation is affiliated with sweat glands and with the vasculature and is especially dense at presumptive arteriovenous sphincters. Virtually all of the sweat gland and vascular innervation is peptidergic, whereas most of the unmyelinated epidermal innervation is nonpeptidergic.

Comprehensive immunofluorescence and lectin binding analysis of intervibrissal fur innervation in the mystacial pad of the rat

The innervation of the intervibrissal fur in the mystacial pad of the rat and mouse was examined by immunofluorescence with a wide variety of antibodies for neuronal related structural proteins, enzymes, and peptides as well as for lectin binding histofluorescence with Griffonia simplicifolia (GSA). Anti-protein gene product 9.5 (PGP) immunofluorescence labeled all sets of axons and endings. The innervation in the upper dermis and epidermis was distributed through a four tiered dermal plexus. From deep to superficial, the second tier was the source of all apparent myelinated mechanoreceptors, the third tier of nearly all the peptidergic and GSA binding innervation, and the fourth tier of nonpeptidergic GSA negative innervation (peptide-/GSA-). Three types of mechanoreceptors-Merkel, transverse lanceolate, and longitudinal lanceolate endings-innervated guard hair follicles. All had similar labeling characteristics for 160 kDa and 200 kDa neurofilament subunits, peripherin, carbonic anhydrase, synaptophysin, and S100. Palisades of longitudinal lanceolate endings were part of piloneural complexes along circumferentially oriented sets of transverse lanceolate endings, peptidergic free nerve endings (FNEs), and peptide-/GSA- FNEs. The longitudinal lanceolate endings were the only mechanoreceptors in the mystacial pad that had detectable calcitonin gene-related peptide. The epidermis contained four types of unmyelinated endings: simple free nerve endings (FNEs), penicillate endings, cluster endings and bush endings. Only the simple FNEs were clearly peptidergic. Virtually all others were peptide-/ GSA-. Each bush ending was actually an intermingled cluster of endings formed by several unmyelinated axons and occasionally an Adelta axon. In contrast to the other unmyelinated innervation to the epidermis, bush endings labeled with an antibody against the Schwann cell protein S100. The necks and mouths of follicles, as well as superficial vasculature, were innervated by a mixture of unmyelinated peptidergic and/or GSA labeled sensory and sympathetic axons. Small presumptive sweat glands were innervated by three sets of peptidergic axons of which one was immunoreactive for somatostatin. Potential functions of the various sets of innervation are discussed.

Innervation of nonmystacial vibrissae in the adult rat

Vibrissal follicle-sinus complexes (F-SCs) in the mystacial pad of rodents are heavily innervated by different types of sensory nerve endings. One site in mystacial F-SCs, the inner conical body (ICB), is uniquely well innervated only in those species, such as the rat, that rhythmically whisk their mystacial vibrissae. In this study, we examined the innervation of rat nonmystacial F-SCs, which are not whisked. Supraorbital, posteroorbital, lateral cervical, median cervical, submental, and carpal forelimb F-SCs were cut on a cryostat and were either prepared for anti-human protein gene product (PGP 9.5) immunofluorescence or stained using the Winkelmann silver technique. Much of the innervation of the nonmystacial F-SCs is similar to that of mystacial F-SCs. All are innervated by a large deep vibrissal nerve (DVN) and several smaller superficial vibrissal nerves (SVNs). As in the mystacial pad, the SVNs show a distribution of Merkel and free nerve endings qualitatively similar to the rete ridge collar of all the nonmystacial F-SCs as well as provide circumferentially oriented endings to the ICBs to all but median-cervical and carpal F-SCs. Not only was the ICB innervation relatively sparse in median-cervical and carpal F-SCs, but a large portion of the carpal ICB innervation also ascended from the DVNs, which make only a small ICB contribution in other locations. Similar to mystacial pad F-SCs, the DVNs provided Merkel and lanceolate endings to the level of the ring sinus as well as reticular and irregular lanceolate-like endings to the level of the cavernous sinus. However, all but the posteroorbital F-SCs have relatively few lanceolate endings. Carpal F-SCs also have relatively few ring-sinus Merkel endings, which are diffusely distributed, are limited to the superficial portion of the outer root sheath. They also lack reticular and irregular lanceolate-like endings in the cavernous sinus. However, carpal F-SCs have a unique set of corpuscular endings in the ICB, ring sinus, and cavernous sinus that are rarely seen in other F-SCs. PGP 9.5 immunofluorescence also revealed two sets of fine-caliber profiles at the level of the ICB and ring sinus that were not previously seen in mystacial F-SCs. Although there was no correlation between ICB innervation and whisking, the regional variations in F-SC innervation suggest that functional differences may exist between vibrissae at different locations in the body.

The innervation of the mystacial pad of the rat as revealed by PGP 9.5 immunofluorescence

The innervation of the mystacial pad in the rat was investigated with the aid of antihuman protein gene product (PGP) 9.5 immunofluorescence. PGP 9.5 is ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase, which is distributed throughout neuronal cytoplasm. This technique revealed all previously known innervation as well as a wide variety of small-caliber axons and some endings of large-caliber afferents that had not been observed before. Newly revealed innervation affiliated with vibrissal-follicle sinus complexes included 1) fine-caliber, radially oriented processes in the epidermal rete ridge collar; 2) a loose network of fine-caliber, circumferentially arrayed processes in the centrifugal part of the mesenchymal sheath at the level of the ring sinus; 3) a loose haphazard network of fine-caliber and medium-caliber processes in the mesenchymal sheath and among the trabeculae of the cavernous sinus; 4) a loose network of circumferentially arrayed processes within the mesenchymal sheath of the cavernous sinus and in close proximity to the basement membrane; 5) a dense network of reticular-like endings provided by large-caliber afferents to the mesenchymal sheath in the upper part of the cavernous sinus; and 6) fine-caliber innervation to the dermal papilla at the base of all vibrissal shafts. In the intervibrissal skin, a dense distribution of fine-caliber individual and clustered profiles was detected in the epidermis. In addition to previously known innervation, Merkel endings were consistently observed in the epidermis at the mouths of guard hairs, loose networks of fine-caliber axons were found around the necks of occasional guard hairs, and fine-caliber profiles were frequently affiliated with vellus hairs. Vascular profiles were heavily innervated throughout the dermis. Axons and motor end plates of the facial nerve innervation to papillary muscles also were labeled. Transection of the infraorbital nerve eliminated all but the facial nerve innervation. Unilateral removal of the superior cervical ganglion eliminated the innervation to the dermal papillae but caused no other noticeable reduction. PGP 9.5-like immunofluorescence was also moderately expressed in apparent Schwann cells, in Merkel cells only in the external root sheath of vibrissal follicles, and in apparent dendritic and/or Langerhans cells usually located in the epidermis and occasionally in the follicles. PGP 9.5-like immunofluorescence persisted in highly vacuolated profiles along the usual courses of medium to large-caliber axons 2 weeks after nerve transection. The possible functional role of the newly discovered innervation is considered along with that of previously identified afferents.

Structure, vascularization, and innervation of the mystacial pad of the rat as revealed by the lectin Griffonia simplicifolia

The mystacial pad of the rat is endowed with rows of vibrissal follicle-sinus complexes (F-SCs) that receive a dense and rich variety of innervation, much of which is C fibers. Each F-SC consists of a follicle at the core of a spindle-shaped, encapsulated vascular sinus. Previous studies have shown that the B subunit of the lectin Griffonia simplicifolia (GSA I-B4) binds selectively to a subset of small neurons in the trigeminal ganglion and to a subset of C fibers preferentially distributed to inner lamina II and outer lamina III of nucleus caudalis in the brainstem trigeminal complex in the rat. These laminae are also a major site of termination for afferents in superficial vibrissal nerves (SVNs) that innervate the upper portion of F-SCs. To determine the peripheral distribution of the afferents that bind GSA I-B4, mystacial pads from rats were prepared for fluorescence microscopy with GSA I-B4 conjugated to rhodamine. At the neck of each F-SC, numerous circumferentially oriented bundles of fine-caliber axonal profiles were labeled in the inner conical body, which receives nearly all of its innervation from the SVNs. A sparse, random distribution of fine-caliber profiles from deep vibrissal nerves was labeled at the level of the cavernous sinus in the deep half of the F-SCs. GSA I-B4 also labeled a variety of nonneural structures. By binding to vascular linings, GSA I-B4 revealed a dense, highly organized capillary system within the mesenchymal sheath that forms the inner lining of the vascular sinuses. Thus each F-SC appears to have a closed capillary system within the open vascular sinus. Trabeculae within the lumen of the cavernous sinus were also revealed to span between the sinus capsule and the mesenchymal sheath only about midway along the length of the follicle instead of the entire deeper half, as was previously believed. in addition, GSA I-B4 bound to the surface of follicular cells preferentially in the superficial half of the F-SCs. Sweat glands within the intervibrissal fur and some cells within sebaceous glands in F-SCs were also labeled as well as their ducts. The potential functional implications of these various features are discussed.

Sequential differentiation of sensory innervation in the mystacial pad of the ferret

The mystacial pad of the ferret has an elaborate sensory innervation provided by three types of terminal nerves that arise from the infraorbital branch of the trigeminal nerve. Deep and superficial vibrissal nerves innervate nearly exclusive targets in the large follicle-sinus complexes (F-SCs) at the base of each tactile vibrissa. Dermal plexus nerves innervate the fur between the vibrissae. Each type of nerve provides a similar variety of sensory endings, albeit to different targets. In this study, Winkelmann and Sevier-Munger reduced silver techniques revealed that most of the endings differentiate postnatally in an overlapping sequence like that observed previously in the rat. Afferents from the deep vibrissal nerves begin to differentiate first, followed successively by those from superficial vibrissal nerves and the dermal plexus. Within each type of nerve, Merkel endings begin to differentiate first, followed successively by lanceolate endings and circumferential endings. In the ferret, the differentiation of the intervibrissal fur and its innervation is slightly delayed but substantially overlaps the development of the vibrissal innervation, whereas in the rat it occurs almost entirely later. There was no evidence of a transient exuberant or misplaced innervation or other secondary remodeling. Differentiating afferents and endings are located only in the sites normally seen in the adult, suggesting a high degree of afferent-target specificity. In the ferret, innervation is virtually lacking in one target--the inner conical body of the F-SCs, which is densely innervated in the rat. This lack was due to a failure of innervation to develop rather than to a secondary elimination of a transient innervation.