Morphometric Comparison of the Motor Trigeminal Neurons

Abstract

Comparative morphological and morphometric studies of the motor trigeminal nucleus (MTN) were carried out on the brains of an alligator, a human being and a rat for the first time. Differences in neurons regarding sizes, areas, numbers, column volumes, neuropil indices and circularity ratios were found. The results showed that the positions and shapes of the MTN were different, and the shapes of motor neurons were different, too. The average area of motor trigeminal neurons was the largest in the alligator, compared with the area in the human being, and the rat; the number of neurons and the column volume of MTN were the largest in the human being. As for the neuropil indices, the value was in descending order: alligator, human being and rat; whereas for the circularity ratio of neuronal cell bodies, the order was: rat, alligator, and human being. We concluded that the size of motor neurons in the MTN may be related to the power of masticatory muscles, and there may be a connection between jaw sizes and shapes and sizes of the motor neurons in the MTN.