Mapping the Nociceptive and Spinal Afferent Innervation of a Rodent Stomach onto a 3D Organ Scaffold
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2093-2396
Keywords
nociceptive, CGRP, spinal afferent, stomach, 3D scaffold, sex differences
Abstract
Understanding the sensory nervous system’s precise innervation of visceral organs remains a major challenge in systems neuroscience, particularly for designing neuromodulatory therapies. In this study, we topographically mapped calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP, a nociceptive marker) afferent axons in the flat mounts of the whole stomach muscular layers of male and female mice and built a 3D digital rodent stomach scaffold that combines high-resolution structural images and nerve-specific mapping onto a common coordinate framework. Using a pipeline developed within the NIH SPARC (Stimulate Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions), we constructed a 3D scaffold of the stomach wall layers, segmented spinal afferent and nociceptive innervation from confocal images and whole mount tissues, and registered nerve data to the scaffold. We found that: 1) CGRP-IR axons entered the stomach and formed an extensive terminal network in the blood vessels, myenteric ganglia, and longitudinal and circular muscles. 2) The CGRP-IR axon innervation density varied depending on the region and gastric target of the stomach. 3) CGRP-IR axons had similar morphologies and distribution patterns in male and female mice. 4) The CGRP-IR nociceptive and spinal afferent innervation maps were annotated with fiducial markers and fitted to a generic 3D stomach scaffold. 5) The scaffold serves as a consistent reference frame to track and analyze the complex interaction between nerve fibers and gastric targets in between layers, enabling population studies and data comparison among samples and across experimental groups. Our methodology contributes to a better understanding of the visceral afferent nervous system, as well as establishing a reproducible computational framework for mapping and manipulating autonomic pathways by stimulating targeted nerves to manage chronic pain and improve organ function, with applications spanning basic neuroanatomy to translational clinical intervention.
Completion Date
2025
Semester
Fall
Committee Chair
Cheng, Zixi Jack
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
College
College of Medicine
Department
Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences
Format
Release Date
12-15-2027
Document Type
Dissertation
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
Subjects
Stomach--Innervation; Digestive organs--Innervation; Gastrointestinal system--Innervation; Viscera--Innervation; Neuroanatomy--Research
STARS Citation
Nguyen, Duyen, "Mapping the Nociceptive and Spinal Afferent Innervation of a Rodent Stomach onto a 3D Organ Scaffold" (2025). Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024. 540.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd2024/540
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