Summary
A consecutive demonstration of both aminergic and cholinergic nerves of rat cerebral arteries was carried out on whole mount preparations. For demonstration of aminergic nerves the glyoxylic acid method was used, while for cholinergic nerves Karnovsky's technique was utilized consecutively. This procedure provided a highly sensitive and reproducible demonstration of the two systems on the same specimen. The results obtained were as follows: 1) Aminergic and cholinergic nerves were distributed densely in the proximal portions of the major cerebral arteries examined. They were dense in the arteries of the anterior circulation and sparse in the posterior circulation. Each nerve had two different patterns, i.e. circular and longitudinal. Both circular and longitudinal patterns were observed in the proximal portions of the arteries, while in the distal portions, longitudinal fibres were predominantly present. 2) Superior cervical ganglionectomy produced no change in cholinergic nerve distribution, while it caused decreased density of aminergic nerves on the ipsilateral side on the arteries of the anterior circulation. The contralateral anterior cerebral arteries were partially affected. Bilateral sympathectomies abolished aminergic nerves in all arteries except the vertebral artery.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Axelsson S, Björklund A, Falck B, Lindvall O, Svensson LA (1973) Glyoxylic acid condensation: a new fluorescence method for the histochemical demonstration of biogenic monoamines. Acta Physiol Scand 87:57–62
Björklund A, Lindvall O, Svensson LA (1972) Mechanisms of fluorophore formation in the histochemical glyoxylic acid method for monoamines. Histochemie 32:133–131
Burn JH, Rand MJ (1965) Acetylcholine in adrenergic transmission. Annu Rev Pharmacol 5:163–182
El-Badawi A, Schenk EA (1967) Histochemical methods for separate, consecutive and simulataneous demonstration of acetylcholinesterase and norepinephrine in cryostat sections. J Histochem Cytochem 15:580–588
Eränkö O (1955) Distribution of fluorescing islets, adrenaline and noradrenaline in the adrenal medulla of the hamster. Acta Endocrinol (Copenhagen) 18:174–179
Eränkö O (1964) Histochemical demonstration of catecholamines by fluorescence induced by formaldehyde vapour. J Histochem Cytochem 12:487–489
Eränkö O, Rechardt L, Eränko L, Cunnigham A (1970) Light and electron microscopic histochemical observations of cholinesterase-containing sympathetic nerve fibres in the pineal body of the rat. Histochem J 2:479–489
Falck B, Hillarp N-A, Thieme G, Torp A (1962) Fluorescence of catecholamines and related compounds condense with formaldehyde. J Histochem Cytochem 10:348–354
Falck B, Mchedlichvili GL, Owman Ch (1965) Histochemical demonstration of adrenergic nerves in cortex-pia of rabbit. Acta Pharmacol Toxicol 23:133–142
Heistad DD, Marcus ML, Gross PM (1978) Effects of sympathetic nerves on cerebral vessels in dog, cat and monkey. Am J Physiol 235:H544-H552
Hökfelt T, Ljungdahl A (1972) Modification of the Falck-Hillarp formaldehyde fluorescence method using the Vibratome: simple, rapid and sensitive localization of catecholamines in sections and unfixed or formalin fixed brain tissue. Histochemie 29:325–339
Iwayama T (1970) Ultrastructural changes in the nerves innervating the cerebral artery after sympathectomy. Z Zellforsch 109:465–480
Iwayama T, Furness JB, Burnstock G (1970) Dual adrenergic and cholinergic innervation of the cerebral arteries of the rat: an ultrastructural study. Circ Res 26:635–646
Jacobowitz D, Koelle GB (1963) Demonstration of both acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and catecholamines in same nerve trunk. Pharmacologist 5:270
Karnovsky MJ, Roots L (1964) A ‘direct-coloring’ thiocholine method for cholinesterases. J Histochem Cytochem 12:219–221
Kobayashi S (1977) Effect of stimulation of the superior cervical ganglion on catecholamine fluorescence of the cerebral arteries in cats. Acta Histochem Cytochem 10:453–470
Kobayashi S, Waltz AG, Rhoton AL Jr (1971) Effects of stimulation of cervical sympathetic nerves on cortical blood flow and vascular reactivity. Neurology 21:297–301
Kuschinsky W, Wahl M (1978) Local chemical and neurogenic regulation of cerebral vascular resistance. Physiol Rev 58:656–689
Lindvall O, Björklund A (1974) The Glyoxylic acid fluorescence histochemical method: a detailed account of the methodology for the visualization of central catecholamine neurones. Histochemistry 39:97–127
Nielsen KC, Owman Ch (1967) Adrenergic innervation of pial arteries related to the circle of Willis in the cat. Brain Res 6:773–776
Peerless SJ, Yasargil MG (1971) Adrenergic innervation of the cerebral blood vessels in the rabbit. J Neurosurg 35:148–154
Penfield W (1932) Intracerebral vascular nerves. Arch Neurol Psychiat 27:30–44
Sato S (1966) An electron microscopic study on the innervation of the intracranial artery of the rat. Am J Anat 118:873–890
Sato T, Sato S, Suzuki Z (1980) Correlation between superior cervical sympathetic ganglion and sympathetic nerve innervation of intracranial arteries: Electron microscopical studies. Brain Res 188:33–41
Tervo T (1977) Consecutive demonstration of nerves containing catecholamine and acetylcholinesterase in the rat cornea. Histochemistry 50:291–299
Waris T, Rechardt L (1977) Histochemically demonstrable catecholamines in nerve fibres of rat dorsal skin. Histochemistry 53:203–216
Yamauchi A, Lever JD (1971) Correlations between formol fluorescence and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) staining in the superior cervical ganglion of normal rat, pig and sheep. J Anat 110:435–443
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kobayashi, S., Tsukahara, S., Sugita, K. et al. Adrenergic and cholinergic innervation of rat cerebral arteries. Histochemistry 70, 129–138 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00493205
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00493205