3D anatomy of autonomic innervations in immune organs of a non-human primate and the human.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Bench and animal/human tissue anatomical study without clinical trial or epidemiological design
PubMed 38932917 · doi:10.1016/j.fmre.2022.03.002
What was done
The authors used whole-tissue immunolabeling and lightsheet fluorescence imaging to evaluate the 3D anatomy of sympathetic and parasympathetic innervations in the immune organs (spleen, lymph nodes, Peyer's patches, and thymus) of rhesus macaque monkeys and humans.
What was found
The abstract reports purely qualitative anatomical observations with no numbers provided: - Spleen parenchyma in adult monkeys and humans exhibited a densely organized sympathetic architecture. - Lymph nodes, Peyer's patches, and the thymus showed only sparse sympathetic inputs. - Parasympathetic innervations were minimal within the parenchyma of all examined immune organs.
Why it matters
This study provides structural 3D mapping of autonomic neural distribution across primate and human immune organs, clarifying potential anatomical substrates for neuroimmune communication.
Limits
The abstract provides no sample sizes, subject characteristics, or quantitative measurements. As an ex vivo anatomical and imaging investigation, it provides descriptive structural data without functional or physiological validation of neuroimmune signalling.
Cited by
- partial The thymus receives sympathetic and parasympathetic neural innervation that regulates its hormonal secretion.