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Neuronal Connections From The Cervix To The Spinal Cord Before Parturition, Mary Medina Groves
Neuronal Connections From The Cervix To The Spinal Cord Before Parturition, Mary Medina Groves
Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects
By the day before birth, the density of nerve fibers in the cervix has increased compared to earlier in pregnancy or in nonpregnant mice. Similar findings are reported in parturient women. To test the hypothesis that connections between the cervix and spinal cord are enhanced by term, the cervix of nonpregnant and time-dated pregnant mice (day 15 or 18 post-breeding) was injected with pseudorabies virus (PRV), a trans-synaptic retrograde neural tract tracer. Mice were euthanized and perfused 5 days later. The spinal cord and cervix were removed and postfixed overnight, immersed in sucrose, and cryostat sections through the thoracic to …