Ganglion

For other uses, see Ganglia (disambiguation).

In anatomy, a ganglion (pl. ganglia) is a tissue mass.g_02/12384214 at Dorland\'s Medical Dictionary

Neurology

This is a dorsal root ganglion (DRG) from a chicken embryo (around stage of day 7) after incubation overnight in NGF growth medium stained with anti-neurofilament antibody. You can see the axons growing out of the ganglion.

In neurological contexts, ganglia are composed mainly of somata and dendritic structures that often interconnect with other ganglia to form a complex system of ganglia known as a plexus. Ganglia provide relay points and intermediary connections between different neurological structures in the body, such as the peripheral and central nervous systems.

There are two major groups of ganglia:

• dorsal root ganglia (also known as the spinal ganglia) - contain the cell bodies of sensory (afferent) nerves
• autonomic ganglia - contain the cell bodies of autonomic nerves.

In the autonomic nervous system, fibers from the central nervous system to the ganglia are known as preganglionic fibers, while those from the ganglia to the effector organ are called postganglionic fibers.

Basal ganglia

The term "ganglion" usually refers to the peripheral nervous system. UNSW Embryology- Glossary G. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.

However, in the brain (part of the central nervous system), the "basal ganglia" is a group of nuclei interconnected with the cerebral cortex, thalamus and brainstem, associated with a variety of functions: motor control, cognition, emotions and learning.

Partly due to this ambiguity, the Terminologia Anatomica recommends using the term "basal nuclei" instead of "basal ganglia".n_11/12580456 at Dorland\'s Medical Dictionary

Pathology

The term "ganglion" can also refer to a form of cyst.eMedicine/Stedman Medical Dictionary Lookup!. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.

In this context, it is sometimes more precisely called a ganglion cyst.

See also

• Dorsal root ganglion
• Ganglion cell
• Ganglion cyst
• Nervous system
• Neuron

References

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