Horizontal ampullary nerve fiber projections to the crista angustarum in the crista ampullaris

Abstract

Individual nerve fibers were traced on consecutive serial 1‐μm‐thick cross‐sections to determine their position of origin within the horizontal ampullary nerve trunk (HANT) and the site at which they penetrated the basilar lamina of the horizontal crista in the guitarfish, Rhinobatos productus. Of the 132 fibers successfully traced, 87.1% followed an anatomical projection pattern consistent with the dynamic response characteristics of the nerve fibers. That projection pattern was: from the peripheral HANT region to the ipsilateral slope; from the central HANT region to the crest; and from the intermediate HANT region both to the ipsilateral slope and the crest of the horizontal crista. The 12.9% of “error” fibers not following this projection pattern were also consistent with the functional neurophysiological data. The terms crista bulbus and crista angustarum were introduced to designate specific anatomical regions of the dumb‐bell shaped crista ampullaris.