Woreta Health Science

And Business College

Anatomy and physiology

of Nervous System
 The Nervous System
• Components
– Brain, spinal cord, nerves, sensory receptors
• Responsible for
– Sensory perceptions, mental activities,
stimulating muscle movements, secretions of
many glands
• Subdivisions
– Central nervous system (CNS)
– Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
Central Nervous System

• Consists of
– Brain
– Spinal cord
• Brain and spinal
cord
– Continuous with
each other
Peripheral Nervous System
• Two subcategories
– Sensory or afferent
– Motor or efferent
• Divisions
– Somatic nervous
system
– Autonomic nervous
system (ANS)
» Sympathetic
» Parasympathetic
» Enteric
Nervous System Organization
Cells of Nervous System
• Neurons or nerve cells
– Receive stimuli and
transmit action
potentials
– Organization
• Cell body or soma
• Dendrites: Input
• Axons: Output
• Neuroglia or glial cells
– Support and protect
neurons
General Function of Neuron and Neuroglia
I Neuron
1. Structure and Function
Typical Neuron has 4 Regions

• Cell Body
• Dendrites
• Axon
• Presynaptic Terminals
Each region is specialized
for its particular function
Information flows in a single
direction
 Neuron Cell Body Location

 Most are found in the central nervous

system
 Gray matter – cell bodies and unmylenated
fibers
 Nuclei – clusters of cell bodies within the
white matter of the central nervous system
 Ganglia – collections of cell bodies
outside the central nervous system
 Functional Classification of
Neurons
 Sensory (afferent) neurons
 Carry impulses from the sensory receptors
 Cutaneous sense organs
 Proprioceptors – detect stretch or tension
 Motor (efferent) neurons
 Carry impulses from the central nervous
system
 Functional Classification of
Neurons

 Interneurons (association neurons)

 Found in neural pathways in the central
nervous system
 Connect sensory and motor neurons
 By function (connections)

Sensory Motor

Interneuron
Neuron Classification
Neuron Anatomy

 Extensions
outside the cell
body
 Dendrites –
conduct
impulses toward
the cell body
 Axons – conduct
impulses away
from the cell
body (only 1!)
 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)
• Slender processes of Axons: Structure
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
• Whitish, fatty Myelin Sheath
(protein-lipid),
segmented sheath
around most long
axons
• It functions in:
– Protection of the axon
– Electrically insulating
fibers from one
another
– Increasing the speed of
nerve impulse
transmission
 Myelin
• CNS: oligodendroglia
or
oligodendrocytes

• PNS: Schwann cells ~

 Nodes of Ranvier
• Gaps in the
myelin sheath
between
adjacent
Schwann cells
• They are the
sites where
collaterals can
emerge
•
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
– Concentric layers of membrane make up the myelin
sheath
• Neurilemma – remaining nucleus and cytoplasm
of a Schwann cell
 Myelin
Sheath and
Neurilemma:
Formation

Figure 11.5a-d
 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
2. Classification and Function of Nerve
Fibers
•Function: conducting action potential

1)Characteristic

 physiological integration
 insulation,
 two direction
 no fatigue
 II Supporting Cells: Neuroglia
Ependymal
Cell

Microglia

Oligodendrocyte

Astrocyte

Martini, F. Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology, Fig 12-6.

 Neuroglia of CNS

• Astrocytes
– Regulate extracellular brain fluid composition
– Promote tight junctions to form blood-brain barrier
• Ependymal Cells
– Line brain ventricles and spinal cord central canal
– Help form choroid plexuses that secrete cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
 Neuroglia of CNS

• Microglia
– Specialized macrophages
• Oligodendrocytes
– Form myelin sheaths if surround axon
 Neuroglia of PNS

• Schwann cells or neurolemmocytes

– Wrap around portion of only one axon to form myelin sheath
• Satellite cells
– Surround neuron cell bodies in ganglia, provide support and
nutrients
Electrical Excitation Of
Neurons

29
 Basic Concepts

 Volt A charge difference between two points in

space

Ions – charged particles

Anions – Negatively charged particles

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 Concept of Resting Potential
(RP)
 A potential difference across the cell
membrane at the rest stage or when the cell
is not stimulated.
 Property:
 It is constant or stable
 It is negative inside relative to the outside
 Resting potentials are different in different
cells.
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 Membrane Resting
Potential

Potentiometer
 excess of positive charges
 gives rise to an electrical
outside and negative charges
potential difference, which
inside the membrane ranges from about 60 to 70
 maintained because the lipid mV.
bilayer acts as a barrier to  (Microelectrode)
the diffusion of ions 32
 The Sodium-Potassium Pump

extrudes Na+
from the cell
while taking
in K

• Dissipation of ionic gradients is ultimately

prevented by Na+-K+ pumps
33
 The formation of resting potential
depends on:

 Concentration difference of K+ across

the membrane
 Permeability of Na+ and K+ during the
resting state
 Na+-K+ pump

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 Basic Electrophysiological Terms
I:
 Polarization: a state in which membrane is
polarized at rest, negative inside and positive
outside.
 Depolarization: the membrane potential
becomes less negative than the resting potential
(close to zero).
 Hyperpolarization: the membrane potential is
more negative than the resting level.

35
Basic Electrophysiological Terms
I:
 Reverspolarization: a reversal of
membrane potential polarity.
 The inside of a cell becomes positive relative
to the outside.
 Repolarization: restoration of normal
polarization state of membrane.
 from depolarized level

36
 II Action Potential

Successive Stages:

(2) (3) (1) Resting Stage

(2) Depolarization stage
(1 (4)
) (3) Repolarization stage
(4) After-potential stage
37
 Concept
 Action potential is a rapid, reversible,
and conductive change of the membrane
potential after the cell is stimulated.

 Nerve signals are transmitted by action

potentials.

38
Ion Permeability during the AP

39
Figure 8-12: Refractory periods
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Slide 3 of 28

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Basic Electrophysiological Terms II
(1)
 Excitability: The ability of the cell to generate the
action potential

 Excitable cells: Cells that generate action potential

during excitation.
 in excitable cells (muscle, nerve, secretary cells), the
action potential is the marker of excitation.

 Some scholars even suggest that in excitable cells,

action potential is identical to the excitation.

42
 Basic Electrophysiological Terms
 Stimulus: a sudden change of the (internal or
external) environmental condition of the cell.
 includes physical and chemical stimulus.
 The electrical stimulus is often used for the
physiological research.

 Threshold (intensity): the lowest or minimal

intensity of stimulus to elicit an action potential
 (Three factors of the stimulation: intensity, duration,
rate of intensity change)
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 Basic Electrophysiological Terms II
(3)
 Types of stimulus:

 Threshold stimulus: The stimulus with the

intensity equal to threshold
 Subthreshold stimulus: The stimulus with the
intensity weaker than the threshold
 Suprathreshold stimulus: The stimulus with the
intensity greater than the threshold.

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Action Potential Summary
 Reduction in membrane potential
(depolarization) to "threshold" level leads to
opening of Na+ channels, allowing Na+ to
enter the cell
 Interior becomes positive
 The Na+ channels then close automatically
followed by a period of inactivation.
 K+ channels open, K+ leaves the cell and the
interior again becomes negative.
 Process lasts about 1/1000th of a second. 45
 Properties of the Action Potential
 “All or none” phenomenon
 constant amplitude, time course and
propagation velocity.
 Propagation
 Transmitted in both direction in a nerve
fiber

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 Threshold Potential
 Threshold potential
 a critical membrane potential level at which an action
potential can occur.
 plays a key role in the genesis of action potential.

 threshold stimulus
 Stimulus is just strong enough to depolarize the
membrane to the threshold potential level

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 Local Response
 Definition:
 a small change in membrane potential
caused by a subthreshold stimulus
 Properties:
 graded potential
 Propagation: electronic conduction
 can be summed by two ways
 Spatial summation
 Temporal summation
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 Excitatory
a
Excitatory b d
Inhibitory c
Membrane Potential (mV)

Time
Spatial Spatial
Summation 49
Summation
 Excitatory
a
Excitatory b d
Inhibitory c
Membrane Potential (mV)

Time
Temporal Temporal & Spatial
Summation Summation 50
Role of the Local Potential
 Facilitate the cell.
 This means it increase excitability
of the stimulated cell
 Cause the cell to excite once it is
summed to reach the threshold
potential
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V. Propagation of the Action Potential

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