[A comparative ultrastructural-morphometric study of the cochlear spiral ganglion in rats and guinea pigs (author's...

The cochlear spiral ganglion of rats consists of 61.8% granular ganglion cells, 22.4% satellite cells and Schwann cells, 9.3% extracellular space, 4.8% myelinated nerve fibers and 1.4% filamentous ganglion cells. The granular ganglion cells consist of 76% cytoplasmic components and 24% nuclei. Their cytoplasm contains 66.3% hyaloplasm, 11.4% mitochondria, 11% free ribosomes, 7.8% rough endoplasmic reticulum, 2.7% Golgi apparatus and 0.8% lysosomes. Comparing with morphometric data in guinea pigs, granular spiral ganglion cells in rats show some species dependent differences in their quantitative cytoarchitecture. They don't differ in their principal architectural pattern, especially in regard to the metabolism for energy and cell performance. The spiral ganglion cells of rats in contrast to those of guinea pigs do not show viral particles. Since it is impossible to evaluate with certainty the influence of viruses on the metabolism of infected cells, in our opinon rats are more suitable experimental animals for morphometric investigations of spiral ganglions.