MH 059 Sympathetic Ganglia

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Sympathetic Ganglia

Nerve cells of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system are located in chains of ganglia on either side of the vertebral column.

- large, nerve cell bodies with prominent nuclei and nucleoli.
- - usually eccentrically located.
- Nissl Substance - abundant in the cytoplasm.
- - yellow-brown pigment located in the cytoplasm. It is end-stage lysosomes that accumulates with age.
(or capsule cells) - glial cells with small nuclei at the periphery of nerve cell bodies.
- individual nerve fibers are difficult to identify because most are small non-myelinated or only lightly myelinated axons. This is in contrast to the larger, myelinated axons from the dorsal root ganglion.
- Schwann Cells - glial cells that wrap non-myelinated axons in cytoplasmic folds of a single Schwann cell. Their large, round nuclei are adjacent to some axons.
- Fibroblasts - elongated nuclei between axons. (Most frequent nuclei seen in nerves.)
Connective Tissue - the ganglion is enclosed by a of dense irregular connective tissue. are also seen within the ganglion.