Sympathetic and sensory neurons projecting into the cervical sympathetic trunk in the chicken

The cell bodies of the sensory and sympathetic pre- and postganglionic neurons projecting into the cervical sympathetic trunk were retrogradely labeled with horseradish peroxidase in the chicken. Preganglionic neurons were located in the spinal segments T1-T6 (maximum T2), postganglionic neurons in the paravertebral ganglia T1-T3 (maximum T1) and sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglia T1-T4 (maximum T1). Labeled preganglionic neurons were widely distributed across the intermediate gray matter and lateral funiculus, but the majority of them were located in the intermediomedial area dorsolateral to the central canal. The short and long axis diameters of labeled preganglionic neurons in this area decreased caudally. From the data of the present study, it is estimated that about 4190 preganglionic, about 450 postganglionic and about 390 sensory neurons project into the cervical sympathetic trunk cranial to the paravertebral ganglion T1 in the chicken.