Ultrastructural Morphology of the Nerve Cells in the Cerebral Ganglion of the Acanthocephalan Moniliformis moniliformis

Abstract
The morphology of the cerebral ganglion of the Acanthocephalan M. moniliformis was studied in serial sections using EM. The organization of the cerebral ganglion was typical of other invertebrates with the cell bodies forming a rind, 1 cell thick, and their processes forming the central core of the neuropile. The ganglion was surrounded by a connective tissue capsule composed of collagen-like fibrils. Externally, the free surface of the cell bodies was covered by an electron-dense extracellular lamina. Cells (76) were identified in every ganglion examined and, on the basis of their cellular characteristics, they were divided into 5 distinct cell types, classified as type A, B, C, D and E cells. The characteristic morphological features of each cell type have been described, and the distribution of the different cell types in the cerebral ganglion was mapped.