Central Nervous System (CNS) 🔍 Flashcards
Blood-brain barrier
A barrier formed by tight junctions between glial astrocytes and capillary endothelial cells, vital for regulating homeostasis and protecting the CNS from imbalances in the environment
Wallerian degeneration
Degeneration of the axon distal to the site of injury, leading to swelling, fragmentation of the axon, and dedifferentiation of Schwann cells
Demyelinating disease
Characterized by selective loss of myelin sheath with axon preservation, myelin detachment, destruction, and damage to oligodendrocytes
Choroid plexus
Specialized structure in the brain that produces cerebrospinal fluid.
Purkinje cells
Neurons found in the cerebellum with large cell bodies and a single axon branching into the granular layer.
Grey matter
Inner core of the brain with cell bodies of motor neurons, dendritic and axonal processes, and glial cells, where synapses occur
Neuropil
Complex network of unmyelinated axons, dendrites, and glial cells in the nervous system.
Central neuroglia
Supporting cells in the central nervous system including astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglia, and ependymal cells.
Blood-brain barrier
Highly selective membrane that separates circulating blood from the brain to protect it from potentially harmful substances.
Molecular layer
Carries excitatory signals to the cerebellum and is responsible for the production of cerebrospinal fluid
Choroid plexus
Invarianted folds containing tufts of capillaries, covered by simple cuboidal ependymal cells, involved in the production of cerebrospinal fluid
Alpha motor neuron
Efferent neuron with large, basophilic cells containing Nissl bodies, leaving via the ventral root and becoming part of the spinal nerve
