Abstract
The localizations of the neurons for the motor, sensory and autonomic nerve fibers supplying the larynx of the cats were described based on a review of literature and our current investigations. The motoneurons for the cricothyroid muscle were located in the rostral half of the nucleus ambiguus. Those for the other intrinsic laryngeal muscles were situated in the caudal half of the same nucleus. Distinct localizations of the neurons for each muscle in the rostrocaudal direction and in the transverse plane were determined. Localizations of sensory neurons for each branch of the superior and inferior laryngeal nerves in the nodose ganglion were determined. In the nodose ganglion, the sensory neurons innervating the superior laryngeal nerve were localized in the rostral part and those supplying the inferior laryngeal nerve were present in the middle part. The larynx received postganglionic sympathetic nerve fibers mainly from the superior and middle cervical ganglia and partly from the stellate ganglion. The laryngeal sympathetic postganglionic neurons were located in the lateral part of the superior cervical ganglion, in the medial part of the middle cervical ganglion and in the middle part of the stellate ganglion. The localization of the laryngeal parasympathetic neurons has not clearly been determined yet.
