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Nucleus Ambiguus

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Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology of the Larynx

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Abstract

The special visceral efferent fibers of the glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves originate from the nucleus ambiguus (NA). We identified the relative locations of the NA motoneurons that innervate specific intrinsic laryngeal muscles by injecting dual or triple retrograde fluorescent tracer into the intrinsic laryngeal muscles. We reported that some neurons in the NA have collateral axons projecting to the thyroarytenoid (TA) and lateral cricoarytenoid (LCA) muscles. In order to analyze functional differences among NA neurons, we performed double immunostaining for cholera toxin B subunit-conjugated gold (CTBG) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). There was a difference in the positive expression rate for CGRP between motoneurons projecting to different intrinsic laryngeal muscles. These findings suggest that the innervation and/or the neurotrophic mechanism involving CGRP for each intrinsic laryngeal muscle is different.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566, Japan

    Shigeyuki Mukudai, Yoichiro Sugiyama & Yasuo Hisa

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  1. Shigeyuki Mukudai
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  2. Yoichiro Sugiyama
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  3. Yasuo Hisa
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Correspondence to Yasuo Hisa .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan

    Yasuo Hisa

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Mukudai, S., Sugiyama, Y., Hisa, Y. (2016). Nucleus Ambiguus. In: Hisa, Y. (eds) Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology of the Larynx. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55750-0_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55750-0_10

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  • Print ISBN: 978-4-431-55749-4

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