- Trigeminal ganglion
Infobox Nerve
Name = Trigeminal ganglion (in red)
Latin = ganglion trigeminale, ganglion semilunare (Gasseri)
GraySubject = 200
GrayPage = 886
Caption = Nerves of the orbit. Seen from above. (Semilunar ganglion visible near bottom.)
Caption2 = Distribution of the maxillary and mandibular nerves, and thesubmaxillary ganglion . (Semilunar ganglion visible in upper left.)
Innervates =
BranchFrom =
BranchTo =
MeshName = Semilunar+Ganglion
MeshNumber = A08.340.390.850
DorlandsPre = g_02
DorlandsSuf = 12385087
The trigeminal ganglion (or Gasserian ganglion, or semilunar ganglion, or Gasser's ganglion) is a sensoryganglion of thetrigeminal nerve (CN V) which occupies a cavity (Meckel's cave ) in thedura mater covering thetrigeminal impression near the apex of thepetrous part of thetemporal bone .Relations
It is somewhat crescentic in shape, with its convexity directed forward: medially, it is in relation with the
internal carotid artery and the posterior part of thecavernous sinus .The
motor root runs in front of and medial to thesensory root , and passes beneath theganglion ; it leaves the skull through theforamen ovale , and, immediately below this foramen, joins themandibular nerve .The
greater superficial petrosal nerve lies also underneath the ganglion.The ganglion receives, on its medial side, filaments from the
carotid plexus of the sympathetic.It give off minute branches to the
tentorium cerebelli , and to the dura mater in the middle fossa of the cranium.From its convex border, which is directed forward and lateralward, three large nerves proceed, viz., the
ophthalmic (V1),maxillary (V2), and mandibular (V3).The ophthalmic and maxillary consist exclusively of sensory fibers; the mandibular is joined outside the cranium by the motor root.
Clinical significance
After recovery from a primary
herpes infection, thevirus is not cleared from the body, but rather lies dormant in a non-replicating state within the trigeminal ganglion.cite journal |author=Verjans GM, Hintzen RQ, van Dun JM, "et al" |title=Selective retention of herpes simplex virus-specific T cells in latently infected human trigeminal ganglia |journal=Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. |volume=104 |issue=9 |pages=3496–501 |year=2007 |pmid=17360672 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0610847104] Thus,herpes zoster may follow fromchickenpox .Rodent
In rodent, the trigeminal ganglion is important as it is the first part of the pathway from the
whiskers to the brain. Cell bodies of the whiskerprimary afferents are found here. These afferents are mechanoreceptor cells which fire in response to whisker deflection.There are around 26,000-43,000 cell bodies in rodent Trigeminal ganglion. Is is possible that there are two distinct (or perhaps continuous) populations of cells having slowly and rapidly adapting responses to stimuli.
It is found at the base of the skull and projects to trigeminal
brain stem areas includingprincipalis ,spinal trigeminal nucleus ,interpolaris andcaudalis .
=AdditionalReferences
External links
* [http://www.umanitoba.ca/cranial_nerves/trigeminal_neuralgia/manuscript/rhizotomies.html Diagram] at
University of Manitoba
* [http://www.frca.co.uk/images/trigeminal_nerve.jpgDiagram (as "Gasserian Ganglion")] at frca.co.uk
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