The amount of compensatory sweating depends on the patient, the damage that the white rami communicans incurs, and the amount of cell body reorganization in the spinal cord after surgery.
Other potential complications include inadequate resection of the ganglia, gustatory sweating, pneumothorax, cardiac dysfunction, post-operative pain, and finally Horner’s syndrome secondary to resection of the stellate ganglion.
www.ubcmj.com/pdf/ubcmj_2_1_2010_24-29.pdf

After severing the cervical sympathetic trunk, the cells of the cervical sympathetic ganglion undergo transneuronic degeneration
After severing the sympathetic trunk, the cells of its origin undergo complete disintegration within a year.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1439-0442.1967.tb00255.x/abstract

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Depletion of noradrenaline in the brain has been shown to cause a decrease in drive and motivation, and may be linked to depression.

A small area in the brainstem consisting of a pair of identical nuclei (clusters of neurons) in the pons from which all brain connections using noradrenaline arise. It appears to be involved in attention and mental focus.
A catecholamine neurotransmitter (catecholamine means that a substance belongs to a group of compounds containing ceratin structural characteristics, such as a catechol nucleus and an amine group), like dopamine. Cell bodies that contain noradrenaline are found in the pons and medulla, and these project neurons to the hypothalamus, thalamus, limbic system and cerebral cortex. These neurons are particularly important in controlling sleep patterns. Depletion of noradrenaline in the brain has been shown to cause a decrease in drive and motivation, and may be linked to depression.