Summary
The early development of the sympathetic chain with adjacent ganglia and chromaffin tissue and the appearance of monoamines in these organs was mapped with the Falck-Hillarp fluorescence technique. In the 11 days embryo a few fluorescent cells are found lateral to the aorta in the thoracal region. During the following days the sympathetic chain with segmentally arranged ganglia develops. The cells have a weak to medium fluorescence intensity. A migration of fluorrescent cells ventral to the sympathetic chain can be seen in embryos 12 days old. These migrating cells will later form the prevertebral ganglia and the chromaffin tissue. At the 14 days old stage the adrenal medulla and the paraganglia can be distinguished, while the prevertebral plexa are differentiated in the 15 days old embryo.
The chromaffin tissue has a brilliant fluorescence but in the neonatal stages parts of the paraganglia show a weaker fluorescence and though they have their largest extension around the 10th day of postnatal life a brilliant fluorescence can be seen only in a smaller part of the ganglia at that time. The paraganglia are reduced in adult stages.
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Fernholm, M. On the appearance of monoamines in the sympathetic systems and the chromaffin tissue in the mouse embryo. Z. Anat. Entwickl. Gesch. 135, 350–361 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00519044
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00519044