CNS Chapter 11 Flashcards
Neuroglia
– non-excitable, renewable (mitotic)
– Provide a supportive / protective scaffolding for neurons, protective
– Segregate and insulate neurons
Structural classification of neurons
1) Unipolar: one short single process. Dendrites and axons are continuous. (afferent neurons, ganglion). Most abundant in PNS.
2) bipolar: one dendrite one axon continues, (special sensory organs: olfactory, retina)
3) multipolar: many dendrites, one axon. Most common class of neurons (interneurons, cerebellum, cerebral cortex, purkinje cells in heart). Most abundant in CNS
Sensory Neurons
- Afferent neurons.
- Action Potential from PNS to CNS
Motor neurons
- Efferent neurons
- Action Potential from CNS to PNS
Interneurons
- Association neurons
- Most of the neurons in the CNS (90%)
Neuroglia in CNS
1) Oligodendrocytes
2) Astrocytes
3) Ependymal cells
4) Microglia
Neuroglia in PNS
1) Schwann cells
2) Satelite cells
Satellite cells
- Surround neuron cell bodies in ganglia.
- Regulates O2, CO2, nutrient, and neurotransmitter levels around neurons in ganglia.
Schwann cells
- Surround axons in PNS, spinal cord
- Are responsible for myelination of peripheral axons.
- Participate in repair process after injury
Oligodendrocytes
- Myelinate CNS axons
- Provide structural framework
Astrocytes
- Maintain blood-brain barrier
- Provide structural support
- Regulate ion, nutrient, and dissolved gas concentrations.
- Absorb and recycle neurotransmitters
- Form scar tissue after injury.
Microglia
- Remove cell debris, wastes, and pathogens by pahgocytosis
Ependymal cells
- Line ventricles (brain) and central canal (spinal cord)
- Assist in producing, circulating, and monitoring of cerebrospinal fluid.
Nodes of Ranvier
Periodic gap in the insulating sheath (myelin) on the axon of neurons that serves to facilitate the rapid conduction of nerve impulses.
Myelination
- Fatty sheath along the length of axon
- Electrically insulates axon
- Increases the speed of nerve impulse transmission
- Helps neural regeneration in PNS