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Nervous system

Terms in this set (29)

Nervous System
The master controlling and communicating system of the body
Functions
Sensory input - monitoring stimuli
Integration - interpretation of sensory input
Motor output - response to stimuli
Organization of the Nervous System
Central nervous system (CNS)
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
Central nervous system (CNS)
Brain and spinal cord
Integration and command center
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
Paired spinal and cranial nerves
Carries messages to and from the spinal cord and brain
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): Two Functional Divisions
Sensory (afferent) division
Sensory afferent fibers - carry impulses from skin, skeletal muscles, and joints to the brain
Visceral afferent fibers - transmit impulses from visceral organs to the brain
Motor (efferent) division
Transmits impulses from the CNS to effector organs
Motor Division: Two Main Parts
Somatic nervous system
Conscious control of skeletal muscles
Autonomic nervous system (ANS)
Regulates smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands
Divisions - sympathetic and parasympathetic
Histology of Nerve Tissue
The two principal cell types of the nervous system are:
Neurons - excitable cells that transmit electrical signals
Supporting cells - cells that surround and wrap neurons
Supporting Cells: Neuroglia
The supporting cells (neuroglia or glial cells):
Provide a supportive scaffolding for neurons
Segregate and insulate neurons
Guide young neurons to the proper connections
Promote health and growth
Astrocytes
Support and brace neurons
Anchor neurons to their nutrient supplies
Guide migration of young neurons
Control the chemical environment
Astrocytes Pt.2
Most abundant, versatile, and highly branched glial cells
They cling to neurons and their synaptic endings, and cover capillaries
Microglia
small ovoid cells with spiny processes
Phagocytes
that monitor the health of neurons
Ependymal cells
range in shape from squamous to columnar They line the central cavities of the brain and spinal column
Oligodendrocytes
branched cells that wrap CNS nerve fibers
Schwann cells (neurolemmocytes), surround fibers of the PNS
Satellite cells, surround neuron cell bodies with ganglia
Neurons (Nerve Cells)
Structural units of the nervous system Composed of a body axon and dendritesLong-lived amitotic and have a high metabolic rate
Their plasma membrane function in:
Electrical signaling
Cell-to-cell signaling during development
Nerve Cell Body (Perikaryon or Soma)
Contains the nucleus and a nucleolus
Is the major biosynthetic center
Is the focal point for the outgrowth of neuronal processes
Has no centrioles (hence its amitotic nature)
Has well-developed Nissl bodies (rough ER)
Contains an axon hillock - cone-shaped area from which axons arise
Processes
Armlike extensions from the soma
Called tracts in the CNS and nerves in the PNS
There are two types: axons and dendrites
Dendrites of Motor Neurons
Short, tapering, and diffusely branched processes
They are the receptive, or input, regions of the neuron
Electrical signals are conveyed as graded potentials (not action potentials)
Axons: Structure
Slender processes of uniform diameter arising from the hillock
Long axons are called nerve fibers
Usually there is only one unbranched axon per neuron
Rare branches if present are called axon collaterals
Axonal terminal - branched terminus of an axon
Axons: Function
Generate and transmit action potentials
Secrete neurotransmitters from the axonal terminals
Movement along axons occurs in two ways
Anterograde — toward axonal terminal
Retrograde — away from axonal terminal
Myelin Sheath
Whitish, fatty (protein-lipoid), segmented sheath around most long axons
It functions to:
Protect the axon
Electrically insulate fibers from one another
Increase the speed of nerve impulse transmission
Myelin Sheath and Neurilemma: Formation
Formed by Schwann cells in the PNS
A Schwann cell:
Envelopes an axon in a trough
Encloses the axon with its plasma membrane
Has concentric layers of membrane that make up the myelin sheath
Neurilemma - remaining nucleus and cytoplasm of a Schwann cell
Nodes of Ranvier (Neurofibral Nodes)
Gaps in the myelin sheath between adjacent Schwann cells
They are the sites where axon collaterals can emerge
Unmyelinated Axons
A Schwann cell surrounds nerve fibers but coiling does not take place
Schwann cells partially enclose 15 or more axons
Axons of the CNS
Both myelinated and unmyelinated fibers are present
Myelin sheaths are formed by oligodendrocytes
Nodes of Ranvier are widely spaced
There is no neurilemma
Regions of the Brain and Spinal Cord
White matter - dense collections of myelinated fibers
Gray matter - mostly soma and unmyelinated fibers
Neuron Classification
Structural:
Multipolar — three or more processes
Bipolar — two processes (axon and dendrite)
Unipolar — single, short process
Neuron Classification
Functional:
Sensory (afferent) — transmit impulses toward the CNS
Motor (efferent) — carry impulses away from the CNS
Interneurons (association neurons) — shuttle signals through CNS pathways
Neurophysiology
Neurons are highly irritable
Action potentials, or nerve impulses, are:
Electrical impulses carried along the length of axons
Always the same regardless of stimulus
The underlying functional feature of the nervous system
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