Gap Junctions in the Dorsal Root Ganglia

Abstract

Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) or spinal ganglia are present in relation to the dorsal ramus of the spinal nerves. The neurons in the dorsal root ganglion are pseudounipolar in type. The single process from the soma or body will divide into the central and peripheral processes. Dorsal root ganglion neurons constitute the first-order neurons for the pain pathways and can be categorized as small, medium and large varieties. Peripheral process collects the impulses from the peripheral receptors and the central process reaches out to the central nervous system. The neurons in the DRG were surrounded by the satellite glial cells (SGC). These cells ensheath the neurons from all the sides. Besides cover-ing the neurons, they share features very much similar to the astrocytes such as expression of glutamine synthetase. Many quantitative studies have identified the different proportion of satellite glial cells for individual neurons. These cells have been identified to get activated when confronted by the noxious stimuli, injury or inflammation. Clinically, these cells were implied to be related to the many neurological disorders.