Investigating the Origins of Sensory Neurons in the Dura Mater Using Fluorescence Microscopy

Source: Wang, J., et al. Visualizing the Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Immunoreactive Innervation of the Rat Cranial Dura Mater with Immunofluorescence and Neural Tracing. J. Vis. Exp. (2021). This video demonstrates a method to trace the origins of sensory neurons in the dura mater using fluorescence microscopy. A retrograde tracer is introduced into the exposed dura mater of an anesthetized rat. The tracer is taken up by sensory neuronal axons and travels retrogradely to their cell bodies within the trigeminal ganglion and cervical dorsal root ganglia. The ganglia are then sectioned, stained with antibodies that label the tracer and neuropeptides in the cell bodies, and analyzed using fluorescence microscopy to confirm the ganglionic origins of the sensory neurons.