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Boedts MJO. Tympanic Resonance Hypothesis. Front Neurol 2020; 11:14. [PMID: 32117001 PMCID: PMC7008469 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Seemingly unrelated symptoms in the head and neck region are eliminated when a patch is applied on specific locations on the Tympanic Membrane. Clinically, two distinct patient populations can be distinguished; cervical and masticatory muscle tensions are involved, and mental moods of anxiety or need. Clinical observations lead to the hypothesis of a “Tympanic Resonance Regulating System.” Its controller, the Trigeminocervical complex, integrates external auditory, somatosensory, and central impulses. It modulates auditory attention, and directs it toward unpredictable external or expected domestic and internal sounds: peripherally by shifting the resonance frequencies of the Tympanic Membrane; centrally by influencing the throughput of auditory information to the neural attention networks that toggle between scanning and focusing; and thus altering the perception of auditory information. The hypothesis leads to the assumption that the Trigeminocervical complex is composed of a dorsal component, and a ventral one which may overlap with the concept of “Trigeminovagal complex.” “Tympanic Dissonance” results in a host of local and distant symptoms, most of which can be attributed to activation of the Trigeminocervical complex. Diagnostic and therapeutic measures for this “Tympanic Dissonance Syndrome” are suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J O Boedts
- Brai3n, Ghent, Belgium.,ENT Department, AZ Maria Middelares, Ghent, Belgium
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2
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Noreña AJ, Fournier P, Londero A, Ponsot D, Charpentier N. An Integrative Model Accounting for the Symptom Cluster Triggered After an Acoustic Shock. Trends Hear 2019; 22:2331216518801725. [PMID: 30249168 PMCID: PMC6156190 DOI: 10.1177/2331216518801725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Acoustic shocks and traumas sometimes result in a cluster of debilitating symptoms, including tinnitus, hyperacusis, ear fullness and tension, dizziness, and pain in and outside the ear. The mechanisms underlying this large variety of symptoms remain elusive. In this article, we elaborate on the hypothesis that the tensor tympani muscle (TTM), the trigeminal nerve (TGN), and the trigeminal cervical complex (TCC) play a central role in generating these symptoms. We argue that TTM overuse (due to the acoustic shock), TTM overload (due to muscle tension), and ultimately, TTM injury (due to hypoxia and "energy crisis") lead to inflammation, thereby activating the TGN, TCC, and cortex. The TCC is a crossroad structure integrating sensory inputs coming from the head-neck complex (including the middle ear) and projecting back to it. The multimodal integration of the TCC may then account for referred pain outside the ear when the middle ear is inflamed and activates the TGN. We believe that our model proposes a synthetic and explanatory framework to explain the phenomena occurring postacoustic shock and potentially also after other nonauditory causes. Indeed, due to the bidirectional properties of the TCC, musculoskeletal disorders in the region of the head-neck complex, including neck injury due to whiplash or temporomandibular disorders, may impact the middle ear, thereby leading to otic symptoms. This previously unavailable model type is experimentally testable and must be taken as a starting point for identifying the mechanisms responsible for this particular subtype of tinnitus and its associated symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud J Noreña
- 1 Aix-Marseille Université, UMR CNRS 7260, Laboratoire Neurosciences Intégratives et Adaptatives-Centre Saint-Charles, Marseille, France
| | - Philippe Fournier
- 1 Aix-Marseille Université, UMR CNRS 7260, Laboratoire Neurosciences Intégratives et Adaptatives-Centre Saint-Charles, Marseille, France
| | - Alain Londero
- 2 Service ORL et CCF, Hôpital Européen G. Pompidou, Paris, France
| | - Damien Ponsot
- 3 Académie de Lyon-Lycée Germaine Tillion, Sain-Bel, France
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Lukose R, Brown K, Barber CM, Kulesza RJ. Quantification of the stapedial reflex reveals delayed responses in autism. Autism Res 2013; 6:344-53. [PMID: 23825093 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2012] [Accepted: 04/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Autism is a developmental disorder characterized, in part, by sensory abnormalities. It is well established that most if not all patients with autism have problems with auditory processing, ranging from deafness to hyperacusis, and physiological testing of auditory function (i.e. auditory brain stem responses) implicates brain stem dysfunction in autism. Additionally, previous research from this lab has revealed significantly fewer auditory brain stem neurons in autistic subjects as young as 2 years of age. These observations have led us to hypothesize that objective, noninvasive measures of auditory function can be used as an early screening tool to identify neonates with an elevated risk of carrying a diagnosis of autism. Here, we provide a detailed quantitative investigation of the acoustic stapedial reflex (ASR), a three- or four-neuron brain stem circuit, in young autistic subjects and normal developing controls. Indeed, we find significantly lower thresholds, responses occurring at significantly longer latency and right-left asymmetry in autistic subjects. The results from this investigation support deficits in auditory function as a cardinal feature of autism and suggest that individuals with autism can be identified by their ASR responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Lukose
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center-Hamot, Erie, Pennsylvania
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Identification of inputs to olivocochlear neurons using transneuronal labeling with pseudorabies virus (PRV). J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2013; 14:703-17. [PMID: 23728891 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-013-0400-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2013] [Accepted: 05/14/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Olivocochlear (OC) neurons respond to sound and provide descending input that controls processing in the cochlea. The identities of neurons in the pathways providing inputs to OC neurons are incompletely understood. To explore these pathways, the retrograde transneuronal tracer pseudorabies virus (Bartha strain, expressing green fluorescent protein) was used to label OC neurons and their inputs in guinea pigs. Labeling of OC neurons began 1 day after injection into the cochlea. On day 2 (and for longer survival times), transneuronal labeling spread to the cochlear nucleus, inferior colliculus, and other brainstem areas. There was a correlation between the numbers of these transneuronally labeled neurons and the number of labeled medial (M) OC neurons, suggesting that the spread of labeling proceeds mainly via synapses on MOC neurons. In the cochlear nucleus, the transneuronally labeled neurons were multipolar cells including the subtype known as planar cells. In the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus, transneuronally labeled neurons were of two principal types: neurons with disc-shaped dendritic fields and neurons with dendrites in a stellate pattern. Transneuronal labeling was also observed in pyramidal cells in the auditory cortex and in centers not typically associated with the auditory pathway such as the pontine reticular formation, subcoerulean nucleus, and the pontine dorsal raphe. These data provide information on the identity of neurons providing input to OC neurons, which are located in auditory as well as non-auditory centers.
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Christian Brown M, Lee DJ, Benson TE. Ultrastructure of spines and associated terminals on brainstem neurons controlling auditory input. Brain Res 2013; 1516:1-10. [PMID: 23602963 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2013.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2013] [Revised: 03/26/2013] [Accepted: 04/03/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Spines are unique cellular appendages that isolate synaptic input to neurons and play a role in synaptic plasticity. Using the electron microscope, we studied spines and their associated synaptic terminals on three groups of brainstem neurons: tensor tympani motoneurons, stapedius motoneurons, and medial olivocochlear neurons, all of which exert reflexive control of processes in the auditory periphery. These spines are generally simple in shape; they are infrequent and found on the somata as well as the dendrites. Spines do not differ in volume among the three groups of neurons. In all cases, the spines are associated with a synaptic terminal that engulfs the spine rather than abuts its head. The positions of the synapses are variable, and some are found at a distance from the spine, suggesting that the isolation of synaptic input is of diminished importance for these spines. Each group of neurons receives three common types of synaptic terminals. The type of terminal associated with spines of the motoneurons contains pleomorphic vesicles, whereas the type associated with spines of olivocochlear neurons contains large round vesicles. Thus, spine-associated terminals in the motoneurons appear to be associated with inhibitory processes but in olivocochlear neurons they are associated with excitatory processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Christian Brown
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
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Benson TE, Lee DJ, Brown MC. Tensor tympani motoneurons receive mostly excitatory synaptic inputs. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2012; 296:133-45. [PMID: 23165747 DOI: 10.1002/ar.22620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2012] [Accepted: 09/21/2012] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The tensor tympani is a middle ear muscle that contracts in two different situations: in response to sound or during voluntary movements. To gain insight into the inputs and neural regulation of the tensor tympani, we examined the ultrastructure of synaptic terminals on labeled tensor tympani motoneurons (TTMNs) using transmission electron microscopy. Our sample of six TTMNs received 79 synaptic terminals that formed 126 synpases. Two types of synapses are associated with round vesicles and form asymmetric junctions (excitatory morphology). One of these types has vesicles that are large and round (Lg Rnd) and the other has vesicles that are smaller and round (Sm Rnd) and also contains at least one dense core vesicle. A third synapse type has inhibitory morphology because it forms symmetric synapses with pleomorphic vesicles (Pleo). These synaptic terminals can be associated with TTMN spines. Two other types of synapse are found on TTMNs but they are uncommon. Synaptic terminals of all types form multiple synapses but those from a single terminal are always the same type. Terminals with Lg Rnd vesicles formed the most synpases per terminal (avg. 2.73). Together, the synaptic terminals with Lg Rnd and Sm Rnd vesicles account for 62% of the terminals on TTMNs, and they likely represent the pathways driving the contractions in response to sound or during voluntary movements. Having a high proportion of excitatory inputs, the TTMN innervation is like that of stapedius motoneurons but proportionately different from other types of motoneurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thane E Benson
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
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Wood A, Jabbour R. A common surgical emergency complicated by anterior spinal cord infarction. JRSM SHORT REPORTS 2011; 2:44. [PMID: 21731814 PMCID: PMC3127495 DOI: 10.1258/shorts.2011.011032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Wood
- Department for Elderly care, Central Middlesex Hospital, London, UK
| | - Richard Jabbour
- Department for Elderly care, Central Middlesex Hospital, London, UK
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Abstract
The middle ear muscle (MEM) reflex is one of two major descending systems to the auditory periphery. There are two middle ear muscles (MEMs): the stapedius and the tensor tympani. In man, the stapedius contracts in response to intense low frequency acoustic stimuli, exerting forces perpendicular to the stapes superstructure, increasing middle ear impedance and attenuating the intensity of sound energy reaching the inner ear (cochlea). The tensor tympani is believed to contract in response to self-generated noise (chewing, swallowing) and non-auditory stimuli. The MEM reflex pathways begin with sound presented to the ear. Transduction of sound occurs in the cochlea, resulting in an action potential that is transmitted along the auditory nerve to the cochlear nucleus in the brainstem (the first relay station for all ascending sound information originating in the ear). Unknown interneurons in the ventral cochlear nucleus project either directly or indirectly to MEM motoneurons located elsewhere in the brainstem. Motoneurons provide efferent innervation to the MEMs. Although the ascending and descending limbs of these reflex pathways have been well characterized, the identity of the reflex interneurons is not known, as are the source of modulatory inputs to these pathways. The aim of this article is to (a) provide an overview of MEM reflex anatomy and physiology, (b) present new data on MEM reflex anatomy and physiology from our laboratory and others, and (c) describe the clinical implications of our research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudeep Mukerji
- Department of Otology and Laryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alanna Marie Windsor
- Department of Otology and Laryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel J. Lee
- Department of Otology and Laryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, USA
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Vallejo LA, Hidalgo A, Lobo F, Tesorero MA, Gil-Carcedo E, Sánchez E, Gil-Carcedo LM. [Is the middle ear the first filter of frequency selectivity?]. ACTA OTORRINOLARINGOLOGICA ESPANOLA 2010; 61:118-27. [PMID: 20116043 DOI: 10.1016/j.otorri.2009.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2009] [Accepted: 11/11/2009] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES The cochlea has traditionally been considered as the first frequency selection filter in the auditory pathway due to the contraction of its external ciliated cells. Yet, much evidence has emerged from work carried out during experiments with animals, some of which is anatomical (connections between the auditory pathway and motor nuclei of the middle ear muscles) and other physiological, which indicates that the middle ear might be the first filter through which specific sounds from noisy environments may initially be isolated. METHODS In cooperation with the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Technical School of Industrial Engineering at the University of Valladolid (UVa) we have developed and refined a new admittance meter capable of evaluating changes in impedance that occur in the human middle ear depending on frequency. Using this device we have measured variation in impedance in 7 otologically healthy volunteers submitted to a varied range of sound environments. RESULTS We have found that hearing impedance is not constant but rather that the attention offered by the examined subjects when following a conversation in a noisy environment leads to variations in hearing impedance at high frequencies. CONCLUSIONS In the light of these findings we feel that the middle ear does not play a merely passive role in hearing but rather that the contraction of the endotympanic muscles makes possible variations in impedance such that the resonance frequency of the ear shifts towards higher frequencies, thus enhancing sound discrimination in noisy environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Angel Vallejo
- Hospital Universitario Del Río Hortega, Servicio de Otorrinolaringología, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, España.
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Vallejo LA, Hidalgo A, Lobo F, Tesorero MA, Gil-Carcedo E, Sánchez E, Gil-Carcedo LM. Is the middle ear the first filter of frequency selectivity? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/s2173-5735(10)70019-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Parsons LM, Petacchi A, Schmahmann JD, Bower JM. Pitch discrimination in cerebellar patients: Evidence for a sensory deficit. Brain Res 2009; 1303:84-96. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2009.09.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2009] [Revised: 09/11/2009] [Accepted: 09/12/2009] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Mukerji S, Brown MC, Lee DJ. A morphologic study of Fluorogold labeled tensor tympani motoneurons in mice. Brain Res 2009; 1278:59-65. [PMID: 19397898 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2009.04.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2008] [Revised: 04/02/2009] [Accepted: 04/15/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The tensor tympani is one of two middle ear muscles that regulates the transmission of sound through the middle ear. Contraction of the tensor tympani in response to both auditory and non-auditory stimulation is mediated by the tensor tympani motoneurons (TTMNs). There are interesting differences among species in the acoustic thresholds for contraction of the middle ear muscles, which may be a reflection of underlying anatomical differences such as the number of TTMNs. However anatomical data for mice are lacking, even though the mouse is becoming the most common animal model for auditory and neuroscience research. We investigated the number and morphology of TTMNs in mice using Fluorogold, a retrograde neuronal tracer. After injections of Fluorogold into the tensor tympani muscle, a column of labeled TTMNs was identified ventro-lateral to the ipsilateral trigeminal nucleus. The labeled TTMNs were classified according to their morphological characteristics into three subtypes: "octopus-like", "fusiform" and "stellate", suggesting underlying differences in function. All three subtypes formed sparsely branched and radiating dendrites, some longer than 600 microm. Dendrites were longest and most numerous in the dorso-medial direction. In 18 cases, the mean number of mouse TTMNs was 51; the largest numbers were 70, 74 and 90 (n=3 injections). The mean size of mouse TTMNs was 13.0 microm (minor axis) and 23.5 microm (major axis). Compared with studies of TTMNs in larger species (cats and rats), mouse TTMNs are both fewer in number and smaller in size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudeep Mukerji
- Department of Otolaryngology, Eaton-Peabody Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Doucet JR, Lenihan NM, May BJ. Commissural neurons in the rat ventral cochlear nucleus. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2009; 10:269-80. [PMID: 19172356 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-008-0155-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2008] [Accepted: 12/30/2008] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Commissural neurons connect the cochlear nucleus complexes of both ears. Previous studies have suggested that the neurons may be separated into two anatomical subtypes on the basis of percent apposition (PA); that is, the percentage of the soma apposed by synaptic terminals. The present study combined tract tracing with synaptic immunolabeling to compare the soma area, relative number, and location of Type I (low PA) and Type II (high PA) commissural neurons in the ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN) of rats. Confocal microscopic analysis revealed that 261 of 377 (69%) commissural neurons have medium-sized somata with Type I axosomatic innervation. The commissural neurons also showed distinct topographical distributions. The majority of Type I neurons were located in the small cell cap of the VCN, which serves as a nexus for regulatory pathways within the auditory brainstem. Most Type II neurons were found in the magnocellular core. This anatomical dichotomy should broaden current views on the function of the commissural pathway that stress the fast inhibitory interactions generated by Type II neurons. The more prevalent Type I neurons may underlie slow regulatory influences that enhance binaural processing or the recovery of function after injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R Doucet
- Center for Hearing and Balance, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Traylor Research Building, Room 521, 720 Rutland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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Reuss S, Kühn I, Windoffer R, Riemann R. Neurochemistry of identified motoneurons of the tensor tympani muscle in rat middle ear. Hear Res 2008; 248:69-79. [PMID: 19126425 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2008.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2008] [Revised: 11/26/2008] [Accepted: 12/06/2008] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The objective of the present study was to identify efferent and afferent transmitters of motoneurons of the tensor tympani muscle (MoTTM) to gain more insight into the neuronal regulation of the muscle. To identify MoTTM, we injected the fluorescent neuronal tracer Fluoro-Gold (FG) into the muscle after preparation of the middle ear in adult rats. Upon terminal uptake and retrograde neuronal transport, we observed FG in neurons located lateral and ventrolateral to the motor trigeminal nucleus ipsilateral to the injection site. Immunohistochemical studies of these motoneurons showed that apparently all contained choline acetyltransferase, demonstrating their motoneuronal character. Different portions of these cell bodies were immunoreactive to bombesin (33%), cholecystokinin (37%), endorphin (100%), leu-enkephalin (25%) or neuronal nitric oxide synthase (32%). MoTTM containing calcitonin gene-related peptide, tyrosine hydroxylase, substance P, neuropeptide Y or serotonin were not found. While calcitonin gene-related peptide was not detected in the region under study, nerve fibers immunoreactive to tyrosine hydroxylase, substance P, neuropeptide Y or serotonin were observed in close spatial relationship to MoTTM, suggesting that these neurons are under aminergic and neuropeptidergic influence. Our results demonstrating the neurochemistry of motoneuron input and output of the rat tensor tympany muscle may prove useful also for the general understanding of motoneuron function and regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Reuss
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany.
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Vallejo Valdezate LÁ. Respuesta. ACTA OTORRINOLARINGOLOGICA ESPANOLA 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/s0001-6519(08)73271-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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16
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Vallejo Valdezate LÁ. Replay. ACTA OTORRINOLARINGOLOGICA ESPANOLA 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/s2173-5735(08)70199-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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