Functional mapping of the afferent and efferent projections of the superior cervical ganglion interactome

This project will map the neuroanatomical connections of the superior cervical ganglia (SCG) in both male and female Sprague-Dawley rats, a model of healthy humans, and the neurobiological effects elicited by electrical stimulation of the cervical sympathetic chains that innervate the SCGs. We expect to extend our present work that suggests that the left and right SCG have different physiological functions and that the left and right SCG talk to one another within the brain to co-ordinate breathing and blood pressure. This work is vital because we believe that a loss of activity of SCG input to the brain and key structures within the body is responsible for the expression of numerous inflammatory disorders including sleep apnea and nocturnal hypertension. As such, we are confident that the work performed in this project will form the basis of future development of novel stimulating devices that will be implanted around the post-ganglionic nerves emanating from the left and/or right SCG in order to specifically treat a disease process that is normally suppressed by the SCG projection.