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Published on: October 13, 2016
Serotoninergic innervation of stapedial and tensor tympani motoneurons
A M Thompson1, G C Thompson, B H Britton
1Dept. of Otorhinolaryngology, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73190, USA. thompa@orthomsm.net.uokhsc.edu
Abstract:
Retrograde tracing and neurotransmitter immunohistochemistry were combined to determine whether serotonin neurons innervated stapedial and tensor tympani motoneurons. With high-power light microscopy, putative axo-somatic and axo-dendritic contacts were observed between serotonin-positive endings and both stapedial and tensor tympani motoneurons, indicating that serotonin neurons terminate on brainstem motoneurons innervating the middle-ear muscles. With this connection, the serotonin system may directly modulate middle-ear muscle activity.
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