Figure 7.

Human pancreatic neurovascular landscape in health and type 1 diabetes (T1D). The pancreas is intricately connected to the central nervous system and vasculature through branches of the autonomic nervous system and branching vessels. Nerve fibers and vessels can directly influence pancreatic function. Sympathetic projections originate in the spinal cord before extending through distal ganglia and intrapancreatic ganglia. Islets (see left inset) receive vascular and nerve fiber inputs that overlap with each other. Acinar tissue (see right inset) is innervated and vascularized, with these components extending around acini. Pancreatic nerve fibers are associated with extracellular matrix (ECM) laid down by either intraislet vessels or acini. There exist interspecies and disease differences in the neurovascular patterns in the pancreas, as described by the summary table. ND, non-diabetic. The key denotes pertinent neuronal components (nerve soma and nerve terminals), capillaries, and ECM.