Anatomical study of the cervical sympathetic trunk and ganglia in the albino rat (Mus norvegicus albinus)

Nine adult albino rats of both sexes were studied. 16 sympathetic trunks and ganglia were dissected in detail in eight rats. The right and left superior cervical ganglion and the sympathetic trunk below the ganglion were removed from an additional rat. The cell bodies of these ganglia and the axons of the trunks were counted with the aid of light and electron microscopy. Considering the number and location of ganglia and patterns of branching, the rat's cervical sympathetic nervous system compares closely with man's. There appears to be a relationship between body size and myelination of preganglionic neurons in the cervical sympathetic trunks, with smaller animals having the least number of myelinated fibers.