NERVOUS TISSUE

- Made up of highly specialized tissue that has the property of conducting

impulses from one part of the body to another
- Composed of:-
1. Neurons
2. Neuroglia

NEURONS

• Neurons are the structural and functional units of nervous system

• They are responsible for reception, integration, transformation and
transmission of impulses

STRUCTURE OF A NEURON
1. Cell body and its organelles (Soma)
2. Nerve cell processes (Neurites)

Cell body
Like a typical cell, it consists of:-
a) Cytoplasm
b) Cell membrane
c) Nucleus- • Each neuron has one nucleus, which is centrally placed in the
nerve cell body.
• Nucleus has one or two prominent nucleoli.
• Nucleus does not contain centrosome. So, the nerve cell cannot multiply like
 other cells
d) Numerous Mitochondria- • Mitochondria are present in soma and in axon
• Concerned with the production of ATP
e) Nissl sunstance- • Nissl bodies are membranous organelles containing
ribosomes.
• So, these bodies are concerned with synthesis of proteins in the neurons
f) Neurofibrils- • Neurofibrils are thread-like structures present in the form of
network in the soma and the nerve processes.
• It consist of microfilaments and microtubules
g) Golgi apparatus- concerned with processing and packing of proteins into
granules

Processes of neurons
a) Dendrites
- Multiple, short, thick processes which terminate near the soma
- Nerve impulse travels toward the cell body
- Nissl granules are present

b) Axon
- Single, long, thin process which terminate away from soma
- Nerve impulse travel away from the cell body
- Nissl granules are absent
- Types:
i) Myelinated axons- In the PNS, myelinated axons have a sheath around called
myelin sheath, formed by Schwann cells. The gaps between the Schwann cells
are called the Nodes of Ranvier. Nerve impulse jumps from one node to the
other node, which is called saltatory conduction.
ii) Unmyelinated axons- Unmyelinated axons do not have myelin sheath. Nerve
impulse travels uniformly along the axolema.

TYPES OF NEURONS
I. On the basis of morphology
a) Unipolar neuron- They have a single process
E.g., Neurons of dorsal root ganglion
b) Pseudounipolar neurons- Here axon after originating from soma splits into
central and peripheral processes
E.g., Dorsal root ganglion cell
c) Multipolar neuron- Most common type. There is an axon and several
dendrites
E.g., motor neurons
d) Bipolar neuron- In these neurons, two processes arise from the cell body
E.g., Bipolar cells of retina
II. On the basis of size
a) Golgi type I neuron- have a long axon
E.g., Cortical inhibitory neurons.
b) Golgi type II neuron- have a short axon
E.g., Cortical motor neurons

III. On the basis of function

a) Sensory/Afferent neuron- carry impulses from periphery of the body to CNS
b) Motor/Efferent neuron- carry impulses away from CNS to effectors
c) Interneurons/Association neuron- connects afferent and efferent neurons

IV. On the basis of dendritic pattern

a) Pyramidal cells- Dendrites of these cells spread like pyramids.
E.g., Hippocampal pyramidal neurons.
b) Stellate cells- Radial shaped spread of dendrites occurs in these cells.
E.g., Cortical stellate cells
NEUROGLIA

Neuroglia are supporting cells present within the brain and spinal cord

NEUROGLIA IN CNS
1. Macroglia
• Macroglia or large glial cells are ectodermal in origin.
• These are of two types: Astrocytes and Oligodendrocytes
a) Astrocytes
- These are small star shaped cells that give off a number of processes
- TYPES: Fibrous astrocytes- seen in white matter
Protoplasmic astrocytes- seen in grey matter
- FUNCTION: Astrocytes play a role in maintaining blood brain barrier
b) Oligodendrocytes
- These are pear-shaped bodies with scanty processes
- FUNCTION: They form myelin sheath in CNS

2. Microglia
• Microglia or small glial cells are mesodermal in origin
• Smallest neuroglial cells having flattened cell bodies and short processes
• More numerous in grey matter than in white matter
• FUNCTION- These act as phagocytes and become active after damage to
nervous tissue by trauma or disease

3. Ependymal cells
• They are ciliated columnar or cuboidal cells lining the ventricles of brain and
 central canal of spinal cord
• FUNCTION- They facilitate the circulation of CSF

NEUROGLIA IN PNS
1. Satellite cells
2. Schwann cells

FUNCTIONS OF NEUROGLIA
a) Provides mechanical support for neurons
b) Good insulators
c) Phagocytosis
d) Prevent spread of impulses
e) Repair
f) Helps in growth of brain
g) Helps in normal function of neurons
h) Provides blood brain barrier
APPLIED ANATOMY
• Most tumors of the brain arise from neuroglial cells

PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS

1.2.3. Describe the structure of neuron with the help of a neat labelled diagram.
Add a note on neuroglia (7 marks)
4. Multipolar neuron labelled diagram (5 marks)
5. Neuron (5 marks; 4 marks)
6. Structure of neuron (5 marks)