The dissociation of paratracheal ganglion neurons and its application to neuropharmacology

It is generally considered that dominant excitatory control of the airway is exerted by the parasympathetic nervous system. In the lower airway, there are a number of parasympathetic ganglia on the serosal surface of the dorsal tracheal wall. The dissociation of these paratracheal ganglion neurons facilitates the ability to visualize and patch-clamp single-neurons and to control the surrounding solutions. This article describes technical procedures to obtain the single paratracheal neurons and its application to neuropharmacology. The single paratracheal neurons can be isolated with adherent functional synaptic terminals using a weak enzyme treatment. This will allow investigations of the mechanisms and modulation of neurotransmitter release from vagal preganglionic nerve terminals with unprecedented ease and accuracy.