The oculomotor and trochlear nuclei in the one humped camel (Camelus dromedarius).

Literature on the organization of the oculomotor and trochlear nuclei of large animals is scanty. There were no reports on the organization of the oculomotor and trochlear nuclei of the camel, hence this study. Nine brains were used for the study. The brainstems were double-embedded in celloidin and paraffin and were cut serially at 24 microns and stained with toluidine blue. Light microscopic studies of the nuclei showed that the principal oculomotor nuclei were not subdivided and were composed of large multipolar nerve cell bodies that had a mean length of 30 +/- 5 microns. The nucleus was 2.4 mm long, 0.7 mm wide and 1.1 mm high. The Edinger-Westphal nucleus was small and was made up of elongated oval cell bodies that had a mean length of 33 +/- 5 microns and a mean diameter of 10 +/- 2 microns. The trochlear nucleus was located caudal to the oculomotor nucleus from which it was separated by a gap. The nerve cell bodies of the trochlear nuclei were similar to those of the oculomotor nuclei. The cell bodies had a mean length of 20 +/- 2.5 microns and a mean width of 18 +/- 3 microns. The caudal central nucleus was indistinct. It was concluded, that the oculomotor and trochlear nuclei of the camel are similar in their general organization to those of other animals but differences exist in the development and organization of the component parts.