The development of the nervous system

Peripheral nervous system

Learning objectives

1. To know the embriologic origin of the peripheral nervous system

2. To understand the myelination process
3. To know the development of the spinal nerves
4. To know the development of the cranial nerves
5. To know the development of the autonomic nervous system
The neural crest

The cells of the neural crest:

- Are ectodermal in origin
- Extend throughout the lenght
of the neural tube
- Migrate laterally and give rise
to the dorsal root ganglia of the
spinal nerves
- They differentiate also into
autonomic neuroblasts,
Schwann cells, pigment cells,
meninges, odontoblasts,
mesenchyme of the
pharyngeal arches.
 Myelination

Into this process are involved two

glial cells:
- Schwann cells, which myelinate the
peripheral nerves ( their axons) with
each cell myelinating only a single
axon. They are found only in the
PNS.
- Oligodendroglial cells, which
myelinate the nerve fibres in the
spinal cord. A single
oligodendrocyte can myelinate up to
50 axons.
Myelination

In the spinal cord it begins in the fourth month of intrauterine life.

Motor fibres descending from higher brain centers to the spinal cord do not become
myelinated until the first year of postnatal life.
Tracts in the nervous system become myelinated at about the time they start to function.
Multiple sclerosis

It is a chronic disease,
disabling, of the brain and
spinal cord.
In this case, the imune
system attacks the sheath of
myelin of CNS and causes
communication problems
between CNS and the rest of
the body.
The development of spinal nerves

Spinal nerves consist of :

- Motor neurons and their prolongations
- Sensory neurons with their fibers
Motor nerve fibres:
- Appear in the fourth week, from nerve
cell bodies in the basal plates ( anterior
horns) of the spinal cord.
- They collect into bundles known as
anterior (or ventral) nerve roots.
The development of the spinal
nerves
Sensory fibres:
- Originate from nerve cell bodies
located outside the spinal cord, in
dorsal root ganglia, derived from
neural crest cells
- These fibres collect into bundles that
grow into the posterior (dorsal) horns
of the spinal cord.
- Distal processes join the anterior
nerve roots to form a spinal nerve.
The development of the spinal
nerves
Spinal nerves divide into anterior and
posterior rami.
They contain both motor and sensory fibres.
Dorsal (posterior) primary rami innervate:
- Dorsal axial muscles
- Vertebral joints
- Skin of the back
Ventral (anterior) primary rami innervate:
- The limbs
- Anterior body wall
They give rise to the major nerve plexuses
(cervical, brachial and lumbosacral
plexuses)
 The development of cranial nerves

By the fourth week of

development, nuclei for
all 12 cranial nerves are
present.
The majority of them
(except the olfactory and
optic nerves) arise from
the brainstem, and of
these, only the
oculomotor (III) arises
outside the region of the
hindbrain.
The development of cranial nerves

In the hinbrain are eight distinct parts

(proliferation centers), named
rhombomeres.
They give rise to motor nuclei of cranial
nerves:
- Trochlear (IV)
- Trigeminal (V)
- Abducens (VI)
- Facial (VII)
- Glossopharyngeal (IX)
- Vagus (X)
- Accesory(XI)
- Hypoglosseal (XII)
The development of cranial nerves

Cranial nerve sensory ganglia

originate from:
- A series of ectodermal placodes
(nasal otic, epipharyngeal
placodes). They contribute to
ganglia for nerves of the
pharyngeal arches:
• Trigeminal
• Facial
• Glossopharyngeal
• Vagus
- Neural crest cells
The deveopment of the autonomic nervous system

The autonomic nervous system is divided in two parts:

- A sympathetic portion
- A parasympathetic part
Both parts rely on two neurons to provide innervation:
- Preganglionic neurons, which have their cell bodies in the gray
matter of the CNS
- Postganglionic neurons, with cell bodies placed outside of the
CNS, in autonomic ganglia. Their fibers terminate in target organs.
Sympathetic Nervous System

It relies on two type of neurons:

- Preganglionic neurons, located in
the intermediolateral cell
columns (horns) of the spinal
cord at the levels of T1-L2
- Postganglionic neurons, placed
in:
• paravertebral ganglia on each
side of the vertebral column
• prevertebral ganglia placed next
to major vassels, branching from
aorta. They are linked by fibres
and form the right and left
sympathetic trunks.
Sympathetic nervous system

Preganglionic sympatethic fibres

originating in the spinal cord (T1 to
L2):
- exit through anterior roots (motor
fibres),
- enter a spinal nerve,
- enter a primary anterior ramus and
then
- enter a white ramus communicans
to reach the sympathetic trunk.
In the trunk they can ascend or
descend to synapse at the segment
they entered or they can pass
through the trunks without
synapsing.
Preganglionic fibres of sympathetic nervous system

They are collected into groups

called abdominopelvic
splanchnic nerves:
- The greater(T5-T9)
- The lesser(T10-T11)
- The least (T12)
- The lumbar splanchnic nerves
Postganglionic fibres of SNS

They travel through gray

rami communicantes to
anterior rami of all 31
spinal nerves and travel
on blood vessels to
reach their destinations.
 Parasymphatetic Nervous System
This portion of the autonomic
nervous system also relies on
two neurons: preganglionic and
postganglionic.
Cell bodies of the preganglionic
parasympathetic system are
located in the:
- Brainstem
- Sacral region of te spinal cord
(S2-S4)
It is known as the craniosacral
part of the ANS.
Preganglionic fibres of PSN

They originate:
- In the nuclei of the brainstem.
They travel via:
• Oculomotor
• Facial
• Glossopharyngeal
• Vagus nerves
- In the sacral region. They exit the
spinal cord via the anterior roots of
spinal nerves from S2 to S4.
Postganglionic fibres of PNS

They enter in four ganglia:

- ciliary
- pterygopalatine
- submandibular
- otic
They are derived, the same as the
postganglionic fibres of SNS from
neural crest cells.