The ansa cervicalis and superior cervical ganglion contribute to the fiber composition of the human hypoglossal nerve and its branches
The hypoglossal nerve is considered a pure motor nerve. Yet, there are indications that it contains sensory and sympathetic fibers in the periphery. We analyzed changes in the fiber composition along the human hypoglossal nerve, delineating the pathways through which non-motor fibers enter this nerv...
| Autores: | , , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad de Sevilla (US) |
| Repositorio: | idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:dnet:idus________::9f9217ef7b2f1bbe810797c0dc11a0f1 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/11441/185058 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-35792-z |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Human hypoglossal nerve Ansa cervicalis Sensory fibers Sympathetic fibers Immunofluorescence Hypoglossal nerve stimulation |
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The ansa cervicalis and superior cervical ganglion contribute to the fiber composition of the human hypoglossal nerve and its branches Didava, Giorgi Petersen, Arzu Carrero Rojas, Génova Pruidze, Paata Pastor Loro, Ángel Manuel Weninger, Wolfgang J. Blumer, Roland Human hypoglossal nerve Ansa cervicalis Sensory fibers Sympathetic fibers Immunofluorescence Hypoglossal nerve stimulation The hypoglossal nerve is considered a pure motor nerve. Yet, there are indications that it contains sensory and sympathetic fibers in the periphery. We analyzed changes in the fiber composition along the human hypoglossal nerve, delineating the pathways through which non-motor fibers enter this nerve and describing the direction in which these fibers extend. Five key positions along the nerve were selected for fiber analyses. Position 1 was intracranial. Positions 2–5 were extracranial and in relation to the C1 component of the ansa cervicalis, which is attached to the hypoglossal nerve. Nerve samples were subjected to multicolor immunofluorescence and quantitative analyses. Intracranially, all axons of the hypoglossal nerve were motor. The extracranial portion of the hypoglossal nerve has a mixed fibers composition of motor, sensory, and sympathetic fibers. The number of all types of fibers increased, reaching a maximum after the C1 component of the ansa branched off from the hypoglossal nerve. At this position, the proportion of motor fibers, sensory fibers, and sympathetic fibers was 63: 11: 26. Our findings suggest that sensory and sympathetic fibers enter the hypoglossal nerve via the ansa cervicalis. Most fibers extend in a distal direction, reaching the tongue, while a smaller number extend in a proximal direction, most likely to become integrated in the meningeal branch of thehypoglossal nerve. Nature Research https://hdl.handle.net/11441/185058 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-35792-z |
| title |
The ansa cervicalis and superior cervical ganglion contribute to the fiber composition of the human hypoglossal nerve and its branches |
| spellingShingle |
The ansa cervicalis and superior cervical ganglion contribute to the fiber composition of the human hypoglossal nerve and its branches Didava, Giorgi Human hypoglossal nerve Ansa cervicalis Sensory fibers Sympathetic fibers Immunofluorescence Hypoglossal nerve stimulation |
| title_short |
The ansa cervicalis and superior cervical ganglion contribute to the fiber composition of the human hypoglossal nerve and its branches |
| title_full |
The ansa cervicalis and superior cervical ganglion contribute to the fiber composition of the human hypoglossal nerve and its branches |
| title_fullStr |
The ansa cervicalis and superior cervical ganglion contribute to the fiber composition of the human hypoglossal nerve and its branches |
| title_full_unstemmed |
The ansa cervicalis and superior cervical ganglion contribute to the fiber composition of the human hypoglossal nerve and its branches |
| title_sort |
The ansa cervicalis and superior cervical ganglion contribute to the fiber composition of the human hypoglossal nerve and its branches |
| author |
Didava, Giorgi |
| author_facet |
Didava, Giorgi Petersen, Arzu Carrero Rojas, Génova Pruidze, Paata Pastor Loro, Ángel Manuel Weninger, Wolfgang J. Blumer, Roland |
| author_role |
author |
| author2 |
Petersen, Arzu Carrero Rojas, Génova Pruidze, Paata Pastor Loro, Ángel Manuel Weninger, Wolfgang J. Blumer, Roland |
| author2_role |
author author author author author author |
| topic |
Human hypoglossal nerve Ansa cervicalis Sensory fibers Sympathetic fibers Immunofluorescence Hypoglossal nerve stimulation |
| topic_facet |
Human hypoglossal nerve Ansa cervicalis Sensory fibers Sympathetic fibers Immunofluorescence Hypoglossal nerve stimulation |
| description |
The hypoglossal nerve is considered a pure motor nerve. Yet, there are indications that it contains sensory and sympathetic fibers in the periphery. We analyzed changes in the fiber composition along the human hypoglossal nerve, delineating the pathways through which non-motor fibers enter this nerve and describing the direction in which these fibers extend. Five key positions along the nerve were selected for fiber analyses. Position 1 was intracranial. Positions 2–5 were extracranial and in relation to the C1 component of the ansa cervicalis, which is attached to the hypoglossal nerve. Nerve samples were subjected to multicolor immunofluorescence and quantitative analyses. Intracranially, all axons of the hypoglossal nerve were motor. The extracranial portion of the hypoglossal nerve has a mixed fibers composition of motor, sensory, and sympathetic fibers. The number of all types of fibers increased, reaching a maximum after the C1 component of the ansa branched off from the hypoglossal nerve. At this position, the proportion of motor fibers, sensory fibers, and sympathetic fibers was 63: 11: 26. Our findings suggest that sensory and sympathetic fibers enter the hypoglossal nerve via the ansa cervicalis. Most fibers extend in a distal direction, reaching the tongue, while a smaller number extend in a proximal direction, most likely to become integrated in the meningeal branch of thehypoglossal nerve. |
| publishDate |
2026 |
| format |
article |
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publishedVersion |
| url |
https://hdl.handle.net/11441/185058 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-35792-z |
| eu_rights_str_mv |
openAccess |
| publisher |
Nature Research |
| institution |
Universidad de Sevilla (US) |
| collection |
idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla |
| reponame_str |
idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla |
| instname_str |
Universidad de Sevilla (US) |
| _version_ |
1878431263187009538 |
| publishDateSort |
2026 |
| author_browse |
Blumer, Roland Carrero Rojas, Génova Didava, Giorgi Pastor Loro, Ángel Manuel Petersen, Arzu Pruidze, Paata Weninger, Wolfgang J. |
| publisherStr |
Nature Research |
| score |
6,9303427 |