Abstract
The aim of this study was to elucidate the size and distribution of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in non-human primates and to compare them with those of rodent DRG neurons. By measuring the size of NeuN-, NF200-, and peripherin-positive DRG neurons in the lumbar spinal cord of rats and marmosets, we found that the cell size distribution pattern was comparable in both species, although DRG neurons in marmosets were larger than those of rodents. This is the first demonstration that DRG neurons in marmosets have a bimodal size distribution, which has been well established in rodents and humans.
Highlights
It is widely accepted that cell body size is an accurate marker to characterize the morphological characteristics of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons (Warrington and Griffith, 1904; Lawson, 1979)
The larger size of human DRG neurons may represent a simple correlation with their larger cell bodies (Toossi et al, 2021); functionally speaking, larger DRG neurons are advantageous for humans to make quick sensorimotor reactions according to environmental changes using their larger bodies, if the correlation between anatomical and functional properties is applicable in humans
The size distribution of DRG cells labeled with neurofilament 160/200 (NF200) (Figure 2H) was comparable with that of large ‘‘light’’ cells, which were labeled with RT97, another antibody specific for this subpopulation of DRG neurons (Lawson et al, 1984)
Summary
It is widely accepted that cell body size is an accurate marker to characterize the morphological characteristics of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons (Warrington and Griffith, 1904; Lawson, 1979). A strong correlation has been observed repeatedly between DRG cell size and axonal conduction velocity (Yoshida and Matsuda, 1979; Harper and Lawson, 1985; Lawson and Waddell, 1991; McCarthy and Lawson, 1997). To date, the link between DRG neuron size and function (i.e., conduction speed) is less established in humans because of the difficulty in assessing their function in vivo (but see Pruszynski and Johansson, 2014). This limitation could be addressed by establishing a non-human primate model for analyzing DRG neuron
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