Week 14 Learning Guide: Nervous Tissue

 Function of Nervous Tissue:

1) receive information (receptors)
2) integrate information (control center)
3) respond to information (effectors)

 Nervous System:

o Central Nervous System (CNS): brain and spinal cord

o Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): everything else (ex. nerves etc.)

o Nerve: bundle of axons wrapped in fibrous connective tissue; emerge

from cranial and vertebral foramen in the CNS; carry signal to and from
body organs

o Ganglia: collection of nerve cells bodies outside of the CNS

o Nucleus: collection of nerve cell bodies within the CNS

 Divisions of the PNS: (2)

1. Sensory (Afferent): carries signals from sensory receptors into the CNS

a. Visceral Sensory Division: carries signals from viscera or the

thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities (heart, lungs, bladder, etc.)

b. Somatic Sensory Division: carries signals from receptors in the

skin, muscles, bones, and joints to the CNS

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 2. Motor (Efferent):
- carries motor signals via efferent neurons fibers from the CNS to
effectors (primarily via glands and muscles)

a. Somatic Motor Division: innervates skeletal muscles

b. Visceral Motor Division (autonomic nervous system): carries

signals to glands cardiac, and smooth muscle; thinks automatically
(no voluntary or conscious control); visceral reflexes

1) Sympathetic Division:
- fight or flight; increased heart rate, (ex. gazelle, and
snake)

2) Parasympathetic Division:
- rest and digest;

Divisions of the Nervous System

PSN
CNS

Spinal Sensory Motor

Brain
Cord Division Division

Visceral Somatic Visceral Somatic

Sensory Sensory Motor Motor

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 Sympathetic Parasympathetic

 Neurons:

o Properties:

 Excitability: response to environmental (external) stimulus

 Conductivity: response to stimuli by producing rapidly traveling

electrical signals

 Secretion: response to stimulation neuronal endings release NT

o Classes of Neurons:

 Sensory: (afferent, toward CNS) detect stimuli; light, temperature,

pressure, chemicals

 Interneurons: (association neurons): lie within the CNS; receive

signals from other neurons and integrate signals

 Motor: (efferent, exit CNS): send signals to muscles and glands

(effectors); carry out responses

o Structure of Neuron:

 Soma: no centrioles; therefore they are most often unable to

divide; dense microtubule and neurofibril network

 Cytoskeleton:

 Dendrites:

 Cytoplasm = Axoplasm
 Cell Membrane = Axolemma

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  Axon Hillock: where action potentials start
 Axon:

 Classification of Neurons:

Type: Description: Sketch:

Multipolar
Neurons

 Bipolar
Axonal Transport:
Neurons

Unipolar
Neurons

Anaxonic
Neurons

- transport of proteins to and from the soma and terminal

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 o Anterograde Transport:

o Retrograde Transport:

 Supporting Cells:

o Glial Cells: more glial cells than neurons

 Oligodendrocytes: (in CNS) forms myelinatetion around CNS

neurons

 Schwann cells: (in PNS)

o Astrocytes: - help form seal of capillaries in brain to help form bood brain
barrier

 Secrete growth factors: x

 Communicate electrically: x

 Maintain homeostasis: control against excitotoxicity

o Ependymal Cells: look like cuboidal epithelium; line internal cavity of the
brain and ventricles; produce CSF and have cilia to move CSF around

o Microglia:

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 o Satellite Cells:

 Brain Tumors:

 Myelin:

o Myelination:

 CNS myelination:

oligodendrocytes; can myelinated several axons simultaneously

 PNS myelination:

Schwann cells can only myelinate one region at a time; wraps its
self up to 100x around an axon; endoneurium: covers a single axon
neurilemma

o Nodes of Ranvier: gaps in between myelinated segments

o Internodes: myelinated regions; short distances

o Initial Segment: between axon hillock and first region of myelinations

trigger zone = axon hillock + initial segment

 Diseases of the Myelin Sheath:

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 o Multiple Sclerosis: autoimmune to some degree causing targeted
destruction of the myelin; nerve cell communication disrupted; especially
bad if paralyzes brain and muscles

o Tay-Sachs: x

* Many unmyelinated fibers occur naturally in CNS and PNS; they produce slow
visceral responses. Becomes a problem when neurons that need to transits signal
fast are degenerating

 Conduction Velocity:

1) Nerve diameter: large diameter= quicker

2) Myelin: more myelin= quicker

 Nerve Fiber Regeneration:

Not able to repair damaged nerves in CNS

Very slow process to regenerate nerve fibers; cell body and some of neurolemma
must remain; area that’s severed with regenerate by neurolemma (Schwann cell
and endoneurium) ; tube guides axon to final destination