Somatotopic Organization of Trigeminal-Ganglion Neurones

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Abstract
The trigeminal ganglion (semilunar or gasserian ganglion) is formed by the fusion of the ophthalmic and the maxillomandibular ganglia and projects to the face and head via the corresponding three divisions. Whether there exists any further somatotopic organization than that of the three divisions in the ganglion has not been known. This information became of considerable interest to us during studies on the mechanism and etiology of tic douloureux,9 and the present investigation was undertaken to determine whether the distribution of neurones is random or orderly with respect to their peripheral receptive fields. Material and Methods Eleven adult cats and one monkey (Macaca mulatta) were used. All animals were deeply anesthetized by intravenous administration of pentobarbital (Pentobrocanal) 0.45 mg/kg. A slow continuous intravenous infusion of isotonic saline was maintained via a cannula in the femoral vein, a tracheostomy performed, and temperature was recorded continuously by a rectal thermometer. The