This image shows the distribution of motor and parasympathetic nervous system in the mouse head.

These systems are vital for the precise and coordinated control of oral and facial structures. However, their distribution within the head is not well-documented, owing to the presence of intricate muscles, bones, the brain, and other complex structures. To gain deeper insight into this sophisticated system, we employed whole-head tissue clearing techniques to visualize the motor and parasympathetic nervous systems in 3D.

From our anatomical data, we uncovered a captivating interaction between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems in regulating blood flow—a phenomenon not observed elsewhere in the body. This discovery could illuminate key biological insights into the physiology of the head, a region crucial to our survival and daily functioning.