Summary
The dura mater encephali of the rat is richly supplied by myelinated (A-axons) and unmyelinated (C-axons) nerve fibres. For the supratentorial part the main nerve supply stems from all three branches of the trigeminal nerve. Finally, 250 myelinated and 800 unmyelinated nerve fibres innervate one side of the supratentorial part. The vascular bed of the dura mater exhibits long postcapillary venules up to 200 μm in length with segments of endothelial fenestration. Lymphatic vessels occur within the dura mater. They leave the cranial cavity through the openings of the cribriform plate, rostral to the bulla tympani together with the transverse sinus, and the middle meningeal artery. The perineural sheath builds up a tube-like net containing the A- and C-axons. It is spacious in the parietal dura mater and dense at the sagittal sinus along its extension from rostral to caudal and at the confluence of sinuses. Terminals of both the A- and C-axons are of the unencapsulated type. Unencapsulated Ruffini-like receptors stemming from A-axons are found in the dural connective tissue at sites where superficial cerebral veins enter the sagittal sinus and at the confluence of sinuses. The terminations of single A-axons together with C-fibre bundles mix up in their final course in one Schwann cell to build up multiaxonal units or terminations (up to 15 axonal profiles). A morphological differentiation is made due to the topography of these terminations; firstly, in different segments of the vascular bed: postcapillary venule, venule, the sinus wall, lymphatic vessel wall, and secondly, within the dura mater: inner periosteal layer, collagenous fibre bundles of the meningeal layer and at the mesothelial cell layer of the subdural space.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alexander WT (1875) Bemerkungen über die Nerven der Dura mater. Arch Mikr Anat XI, pp 231–234
Amenta F, Sanesario G, Ferrante F, Cavallotti C (1980) Acetylcholinesterase-containing nerve fibers in the dura mater of guinea pig, mouse and rat. J Neural Transm 47:237–242
Andres KH (1973) Morphological criteria for the differentiation of mechanoreceptors in vertebrates. In: Schwartzkopff (ed) Symposium Mechanorezeption (Abhdlg Rhein Westf Akad Wiss) Westdeutscher Verlag 53:135–152
Andres KH, von Düring M (1972) Morphology of cutaneous receptors. In: Iggo A (ed) Handbook of Sensory Physiol. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, 2:3–28
Andres KH, von Düring M (1974) Interferenzphänomene am osmierten Präparat für die systematische elektronenmikroskopische Untersuchung. Mikroskopie 3:139–149
Andres KH, von Düring M (1977) Interference phenomen on osmium tetroxide-fixed specimens for systematic electron microscopy. In: Hayat A (ed) Principles and Techniques of Electron Microscopy. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York. Biol Appl 8:246–261
Andres KH, von Düring M (1981) General methods for characterization of brain regions. In: Heym Ch, Forssmann WG (eds) Techniques in neuroanatomical research. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 100–108
Andres KH, von Düring M, Schmidt RF (1985) Sensory innervation of the Achilles tendon by group III and IV afferent fibers. Anat Embryol 172:145–156
Arnold F (1826) Dissert, de parte cephalica nervi sympathici in homine, Heidelberg
Brierley JB, Field EF (1948) The connexions of the spinal subarachnoidal space with the lymphatic system. J Anat (Lond) 82:153–166
Chambers MR, Andres KH, von Düring M, Iggo A (1972) Structure and function of the slowly adapting type II mechanoreceptor in hairy skin. Quart J Exp Physiol 57:417–445
Csanda E, Obal R, Obal F (1983) Central nervous system and lymphatic system. In: Földi M, Casley-Smith JR (eds) Lymphangiology. Schattauer Verlag, pp 509–517
Clementi F, Palade GE (1969) Intestinal capillaries. I. Permeability to peroxidase and ferritin. J Cell Biol 41:33–58
Crosby EC, Humphrey T, Lauer EW (1962) Correlative anatomy of the nervous system. Macmillan, New York
Düring M von, Miller MR (1978) Sensory nerve endings of the skin and deeper structures. In: Gans C (ed) Biology of the reptilia. Neurology A, Academic Press, London New York, 9:407–441
Düring M von, Andres KH, Iravani J (1974) The fine structure of the pulmonary stretch receptor in the rat. Z Anat Entwickl Gesch 143:215–222
Düring M von, Andres KH, Schmidt RF (1984) Ultrastructure of fine afferent fibre terminations in muscle and tendon of the cat. In: Hamann W, Iggo A (eds) Sensory receptor mechanisms. World Scient Publ Singapore, pp 15–23
Friedrich YL, Mugnami E (1981) Preparation of neural tissue for electron microscopy. In: Heimer L, Robards MJ (eds) Neuroanatomical tract-tracing methods. Plenum Press, New York London, pp 345–374
Furness JB, Papka RE, Della NG, Costa M, Eskay RL (1982) substance P-like immunoreactivity in nerves associated with the vascular system of guinea-pigs. Neurosci 7:447–459
Gamse R, Holzer P, Lembeck F (1980) Decrease of substance P in primary afferent neurones and impairment of neurogenic plasma extravasation by capsaicin. Br J Pharmacol 68:207–213
Halata Z, Munger BL (1981) Identification of the Ruffini corpuscle in human hairy skin. Cell Tissue Res 219:437–440
Halata Z, Rettig T, Schulze W (1985) The ultrastructure of sensory nerve endings in the human knee joint capsule. Anat Embryol 172:265–275
Haller G (1762) Elementa physiologiae. Lausannae (lib X, vol V)
Hensel H, Andres KH, von Düring M (1974) Structure and function of cold receptors. Pflügers Arch 352:1–10
Jancsó N (1968) Desensitization with capsaicin and related acylamides as a tool for studying the function of pain receptors. Pharmacology of Pain. Pergamon Press, Oxford New York 9:33–55
Jancsó G, Király E, Jancsó-Gábor A (1980) Chemosensitive pain fibres and inflammation. Int J Tissue React 2:257–66
Karnovsky MJ (1965) A formaldehyde-glutaraldehyde fixative of high osmolarity for use in electron microscopy. J Cell Biol 27:137A
Lundberg MJ, Brodin E, Hua X, Saria A (1984) Vascular permeability changes and smooth muscle contraction in relation to capsaicin-sensitive substance P afferents in the guinea-pig. Acta Physiol Scand 120:217–22
Luschka H von (1850) Die Nerven der harten Hirnhaut. Laupp H, Tübingen
Matsuyama T, Shiosaka S, Wanaka A, Yoneda S, Kimura K, Hayakawa T, Emson PC, Tohyama M (1985) Fine structure of peptidergic and catecholaminergic nerve fibers in the anterior cerebral artery and their interrelationship: an immunoelectron microscopic study. J Comp Neurol 223:46–56
Mayberg MR, Zervas NT, Moskowitz MA (1984) Trigeminal projections to supratentorial pial and dural blood vessles in cats demonstrated by horseradish peroxidase histochemistry. J Comp Neurol 223:46–56
Moskowitz MA (1984) The neurobiology of vascular head pain. Ann Neurol 16:157–168
Muszynski K, von Düring M, Andres KH (1984) Sensible Nervenendigungen des Nervus trigeminus in der Dura mater cerebri der Ratte. Verh Anat Ges 78:597–598
Penfield W, McNaughton F (1940) Dural headache and innervation of the dura mater. Arch Neurol Psychiatr 44:43–75
Ray BS, Wolff HG (1940) Experimental studies on headache. Painsensitive structures of the head and their significance in headache. Arch Surg 41:813–856
Reynolds ES (1963) The use of lead citrate of high pH as an electron-opac stain in electron microscopy. J Cell Biol 17:208–212
Rossi F, Scevola D (1935) Contributo alla conoscenza della distribuzione delle fibre nervose nella dura madre encefalica. Monitore Zool Ital 45:289
Schoultz TW, Swett JE (1972) The fine structure of the Golgitendon organ. J Neurocytol 1:1–26
Simionescu M, Simionescu N, Palade GE (1972) Permeability of intestinal capillaries. Pathway followed by dextrans and glycogens. J Cell Biol 53:365–393
Simionescu N, Simionescu M (1983) The cardiovascular system. In: Weiss L (ed) Histology cell and tissue biol, 5th edn. Elsevier Biomedical, New York, pp 371–433
Steiger HJ, Tew JM, Keller JT (1982) The sensory representation of the trigeminal ganglion of the cat. Neurosci Lett 31:231–236
Wirth FP, Van Buren JM (1971) Referral of pain from dural stimulation in man. J Neurosurg 34:630–642
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Andres, K.H., von Düring, M., Muszynski, K. et al. Nerve fibres and their terminals of the dura mater encephali of the rat. Anat Embryol 175, 289–301 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00309843
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00309843