Metabolic properties of the sensory neurons in the rat dorsal root ganglion
Miyata, H.; Jozaki, A.; Tokuriki, M.; Kawai, Y.
Archives Italiennes de Biologie 135(3): 263-271
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-9829 PMID: 9177128 Document Number: 471147
The dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons were classified in the rat on the basis of their metabolic enzyme properties as determined by quantitative analysis in histochemical staining. In particular, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-diaphorase (NADH-d) and alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (alpha-GPD) activities were examined on two serial sections from the same neurons in the lumbar (L4) DRG. The DRG neurons were classified into three groups based on the soma diameter distribution; small, intermediate and large size DRG neurons. The NADH-d activity showed a unimodal distribution in all size groups, while the alpha-GPD activity clearly showed a bimodal distribution in the intermediate and large size neurons, but not all in the small size neurons.