LIGHT AND ELECTRON-MICROSCOPIC STUDIES ON THE CRANIAL CERVICAL-GANGLION OF THE ARABIAN CAMEL (CAMELUS-DROMEDARIUS L)

The cranial cervical ganglion (CCG) of the one humped camel was studied by light and electron microscopy. Light microscopy has shown that the CCG of the camel is completely invested with a thick connective tissue/perineurial cell capsule, and that the ganglion is lobulated. The nerve cell bodies were never seen in groups and they all belonged to the class of multipolar neurons. Electron microscopy has revealed that the perineurial cells of the capsule contain heterophagic vacuoles and this suggests that they are phagocytic. The nerve cell bodies showed the general ultrastructural features of sympathetic neuronal perikarya. Intranuclear inclusion bodies were frequently encountered and this suggests that neurons of the CCG of the camel are highly active. A small number of neuronal perikarya characterized by many large granules were seen in the CCG of the camel. They were considered to be somata of peptidergic neurons. The small granule - containing cells reported in the CCG of some other mammals were not seen in this study.