Cells and Tissues of the Nervous System Flashcards
What are the divisions of the nervous system?
PNS and CNS
then sensory (afferent) division and motor (efferent) divison
then motor division into somatic and autonomic
then autonomic into sympathetic and parasympathetic
What forms the CNS?
Brain and spinal cord
What forms the PNS?
Cranial and spinal nerves
What are the different cell types of the nervous system?
Neurons
Glial cells
How can neurons be described?
Structural and functional unit of the nervous system
How are impulses carried along neurons?
As action potentials, they are excitable cells
How can glial cells be described?
Non-excitable supporting cells
How does the size of glial cells compare to neurons?
Glial cells are much smaller
How many dendrites and axons does a typical neuron have?
Multiple dendrites and one axon
Where does an action potential travel from and to?
One direction from cell body to synaptic terminal
What are dendrites?
Branched protoplasmic extensions of a nerve cell that propagate the electrochemical stimulation towards the cell body (also known as soma)
What is an axon?
Long threadlike part of a nerve cell along which impulses are conducted from the cell body to other cells
What does the cell body of a neuron contain?
Nucleus
Mitochondria
Ribosomes
Other organelles
What do synaptic terminals do?
Affect other neurons or effector organ such as muscle or gland
What are some properties of the nucleus of a neuron (chromatin and nucleolus)?
Loose chromatin
Prominent nucleolus
Is the metabolic rate of neurons high or low?
High
What are the 2 names for the cytoplasm of a neuron?
Perikaryon in the cell body
Axoplasm in the axon
What does amiotic mean?
Relating to division of a cell nucleus without mitosis
What is amitosis?
Cell proliferation that does not occur by mitosis
What can be said about the lifespan of neurons?
Long living and amiotic
How does the presence of a myelin sheath impact conduction speed?
Increases conduction speed
How does the myelin sheath increase conduction speed?
By saltatory conduction
What is saltatory conduction?
Propogation of action potentials along myelinated axons from one node of Ranvier to the next node, increasing the conduction velocity of the action potential
Depending on the presence of the myelin sheath, what can neurons be?
Myelinated neurons
Non-myelinated neurons
What is the myelin sheath formed by in the CNS?
Oligodendrocytes
What is the myelin sheath formed by in the PNS?
Schwann cells
What are nodes of Ranvier?
Microscopic gaps found within myelinated axons, the function is too speed up the propagation of action potentials along the axons via saltatory conduction
What is an example of a condition that demonstrates the clinical important of the myelin sheath?
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
What is MS?
Patchy loss/scarring of mmyelin sheath, leads to nerve condiction across affected axons being abnormal
What is the cause of MS?
Unknown, potentially viral or autoimmune
What does an MRI show when investigating MS?
White plaques of demyelination
What are some of the nerve tracts present in the spinal cord?
Ascending tracts
Descending tracts
Spinothalamic tract
Spinoreticular tract
Dorsal spinocerebellar tract
Ventral ispinocerebellar tract
Lateral corticospinal tract
Ventral corticospinal tract
Retrospinal tract
What are examples of different types of neurons?
Interneurons
Motor neurons
Sesnory neurons
What are examples of multipolar neurons?
Interneurons
Motor neurons