The cervical medium ganglion is a collection of nerve cells on the sixth cervical vertebra. Several fibers originate from it, which pass into different structures. As an autonomous neuronal structure, it performs additional tasks in the simple processing of signals beyond the simple transmission of information.
What is the cervical medium ganglion?
The cervical medium ganglion is a collection of neurons in the upper cervical region. It is part of the truncus sympathicus, the so-called border cord, which consists of a chain of 22-23 autonomic ganglia (collections of nerve cells). It is also called the middle cervical ganglion and is an autonomic neuronal structure. As with any ganglion, a thickening of the nerve cord results from the cervical medium ganglion. It is the smallest of the three ganglia of the border cord(truncus sympathicus). It is part of the peripheral nervous system and belongs to the sympathetic nervous system. Thus, it is a part of the autonomic nervous system that cannot be consciously directed or controlled. By definition, a ganglion is an accumulation of nerve cell bodies in the peripheral nervous system. It should be noted that the middle cervical ganglion is inconstant in some animal species, such as the horse – it does not then exist in every individual
Anatomy and structure
The middle cervical ganglion has a basic spindle-shaped form. In humans, it is located on the sixth cervical vertebra near the inferior thyroid artery. It is smaller than the upper cervical ganglion (ganglion cervicale superius). Several fibers originate from the middle cervical ganglion, including to the fifth and sixth cervical spinal nerves. These two spinal nerves arise from the cervical portion of the spinal cord and emerge from the cervical spine. They are counted among the cervical nerves. Other fibers run to the carotid artery where they form the so-called plexus caroticus communis, a nerve plexus around the carotid artery(arteria carotis communis). The middle cervical ganglion is connected to the inferior cervical ganglion and the stellate ganglion via the ansa subclavia, a nerve snake that wraps around the subclavian artery. It is part of the truncus sympathicus, the so-called border cord. The cervical medium ganglion, like the superior and inferior cervical ganglions, is included with the border cord in the deep leaflet of the cervical fascia (fascia cervicalis). They lie there posterior to the vagina carotica, the vascular nerve sheath. The truncus sympathicus, consisting of 22-23 autonomic ganglia, runs from the base of the skull to the coccyx. Here, the cord runs paravertebrally, along the spine.
Function and tasks
The existence of the ganglion results in a thickening of the nerve cord, which is characteristic of all collections of nerve cell bodies, or ganglia. Due to its localization, the middle cervical ganglion belongs to the cervical ganglia (cervix = neck), which are part of the peripheral nervous system. There are a total of three sympathetic cervical ganglia: the superior cervical ganglion (ganglion cervicale superius), the middle cervical ganglion (ganglion cervicale medium) discussed in this text, and the inferior cervical ganglion (ganglion cervicale inferius). The peripheral nervous system is that part of the nervous system that does not belong to either the brain or the spinal cord and thus is not centrally located. The peripheral nervous system is thus defined in name as a non-central nervous system; the demarcation is purely topographical. The ganglia, thus also the ganglion cervicale medium, are autonomous nerve structures, i.e. the structure (the ganglion) serves not only the mere data or signal transmission, but is able to perform simple processing. However, there are no further findings in this field. As a result, the exact function in the neuronal processing of data and signals of the ganglia is not fully understood. However, it seems likely that this results in signal processing that is close to the organ and independent of the central nervous system. The cervical medium ganglion, as well as all ganglia in general, can thus be regarded as a kind of control center within the peripheral nervous system. The complex ability to process information can be attributed to the tendency for networking, which is present due to the high concentration of nerve cells in a small space.
Diseases
As diseases of the ganglia, as with other peripheral nerve cells, injuries caused by external influences as well as neuropathies are conceivable. In this case, a physician should be consulted in any case, since an expert medical treatment is inevitable. All diseases of the peripheral nerves that do not result from a traumatic effect are summarized as so-called neuropathies. They are divided into primary and secondary neuropathies. Symptomatically, a neuropathy initially manifests itself primarily as pain in the area of the affected nerve or nerves. In contrast to the symptom of pain, however, there may also be a complete lack of stimulation. Depending on the severity, a loss of reflexes is also possible. Various underlying diseases are possible causes of neuropathies. The most common trigger of neuropathy is diabetes mellitus, also known as diabetes. If diabetes mellitus is the trigger and several nerves are affected, the clinical picture of a so-called diabetic polyneuropathy is present. Other causes of neuropathies include inflammatory processes, metabolic diseases (e.g. diabetes mellitus) or autoimmune diseases. Among the autoimmune diseases, Guillain-Barré syndrome can be mentioned as a prominent example. Various chemotherapeutic agents can also trigger neuropathies as a side effect. If neuropathy or injury to a nerve resulting from traumatic exposure is suspected, a physician should be consulted, as such clinical pictures require medical treatment.
