Nerve tissue Flashcards
CNS vs PNS
CNS: brain and spinal cord
PNS: cranial, spinal and peripheral nerves + ganglia
cell components of nerve tissue + origin of tissue
Origin of both: neural crest of the ectoderm
- neurons (impulse generation at snyapses)
- ganglia (supporting cells that affect metabolism and activity of neurons)
!!! PLUS BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER –> rich vascular supply
Neuron functions
- receive signals
- integrate signals (determine whether or not they should be passed on)
- conduct signals to target cells (either neurons OR muscles/glands)
Properties of neurons
- excitability: ability to generate large responses from detection to small stimuli
- conductivity: ability to produce signals and trasmit them along nerve fibers
- functional polarity: asymmetry in distribution of cellular components which allows a unidireactional impulse travel
Somatic vs visceral neurones
SENSORY:
1. somatic afferent: convey sensory impulses (like pain) from body surface
2. visceral afferent: convey sensory stimuli from internal organs (glands/ blood vessels)
MOTOR:
1. somatic efferent: carry voluntary impulses to skeletal muscles
2. visceral efferent: carry involuntary impluses to smooth muscle, cardiac conducting cells (purkinje) and glands
SUMMARY: somatic sense the environment and visceral sense the interior milieu
grey vs white matter
GREY: cell bodies (unmyelinated)
WHITE: myelinated axons and axon terminals
Ways to classify neurones
- function (sensory, motor, inter)
- number of processes (uni,bi,pseudouni, multi polar)
- axon length (gogli type 1/2)
types of FUCNTIONAL neurons
- SENSORY: afferent, deliver info from PNS to CNS, located at dorsal root (posterior)
- MOTOR: efferent, deliver info from CNS to muscles/glands, located in ventral root (anterior)
- INTERNEURONS: connect motor and sensory and are fully located within the grey matter of the spinal cord
types of MORPHOLOGICAL neurons (number of processes)
- unipolar: one axon, no dendrites
- bipolar: one axon one dendrite
- peudounipolar: one process but one end extend to periphery and the other extends to CNS
- multipolar: one axon and 2+ dendrites
what types of neurons are associated with each classification of number of processes?
unipolar: sensory
bipolar: sensory of retina and olfactory nerves
multipolar: interneuron and motor
!! pyramidal: purkinje fibers of the cerebellum
types of AXON LENGTH neurons
GOLGI TYPE 1: projection neurons - long axons starting from CNS going to PNS
GOLGI TYPE 2: local circuit neurons: short axons residing in CNS and do not exit it (make connections with nearby cells)
Characteristics of the neuronal cell body
-large euchromatic nucleus with evident nucleolus
-Nissl bodies: dense basophilic perinuclear RER/free ribosomes
-abundant Golgi
-abundant mitochondria
-lysosomes and lipofuscin
-highly organised cytoskeleton
Cytoskeletal components and distribution within nerve cells
- microfilaments: peripheral, under plasma membrane of entire neuron
- neurofilaments: axon mainly and some in soma
- microtubules: perinuclear MTOC, axon and dendrites
Why do neurons need such high cytoskeletal organisation?
secretory proteins are made in the cell soma (due to presence of RER and Golgi) and then need transport through the axon to axon terminals for secretion (eg. neurotransmitters)
This occurs via motor proteins (kinesin/dynin)
Characteristics of dendrites
- receive impulses from other neurons
-similar cytoplasmic content to cell body but without Golgi
-larger diameter than axons
-UNMYELINATED
-variable branching at variable distances from soma
-SPINES: protrusions from plasma mebrane that are the sites of synapse connections with other terminal axons
Are spines stable or unstable?
UNSTABLE: can be synthesised and eliminated quickly (hence are linked with plasticity and memory)
characteristics of axons:
-single branch and uniform morphology
-have further branching at axon terminal
-originates at axon hillock (no nissl bodies)
-only organelle present is mitochondria
-MYELINATED
-high extent of cytoskeletal organisation
What is the axon hillock?
the origin of the axon from the nerve soma which lacks Nissl bodies (only mitohchondria are present)
2 types of axon transport and molecules used for
- FAST:
-contains both anterograde and retrograde (bidirectional)
-ANT used for vesicles, nutrients, membrane bound organelles, aa
-RET used for endocytosed toxins and viruses - SLOW:
-contains only anterograde (unidirectional)
-used for structural elements like neurofilaments and matrix proteins
What is the origin of the cytoskeletal elements in nerve cells
originate from MTOC and have their negative ends towards the nucleus and their positive ends towards the periphery
mechanism of axon transport
Anterograde: from soma to axon terminals
Retrograde: from axon terminals to soma
MOTOR PROTEINS: Kinesin for anterograde and dynin for retrograde
-proteins contain a head and tail component
-head binds to MTs and has ATPase activity
-tail binds to cargo
!! ATP hydrolysis allows change in conformation causing motor proteins to slide along MTs
Types of classifications for synapses (5)
- ACTION (chemical/ electrical)
- POST SYNAPTIC CELL
- SITE OF RELEASE (discrete/diffuse)
- EFFECT (excitatory/ inhibitory)
- SPEED (ionotropic/ metabotropic)
Electrical synapses mechanism
-present CNS where cells need to generate synchronous signals (eg. cardiomyocytes)
-contain gap junctions for ion flow
-flow of impulse can be bidirectional
chemical synapse mechanism
- AP reached preSN
- opening of Ca2+ channels (voltage gated)
- Ca2+ influx and fusion with vesicles
- Vesicles move to membrane
- Exocytosis of vesicles
- Neurostransmitter diffusion across cleft
- Binding to postSN receptors
- Signal initiated via influx of Na+ for depol
2 sources of synaptic vesicle release
- RESERVE POOL: located at greatest distance from active zone. While the RRP vesicles are exocytosed, the RP vesicles move along cytoskeleton to the active zone to replace the RRPs and be then secreted
- READILY RELEASABLE POOL: ready supply of active zone vesicles that are imediately released at the synapse
Process of vesicle release in synapse (6 STEPS)
- Dettachment of vesicle from cytoskeleton: Ca2+ activates Ca2+/calmodullin protein kinase that phosphorylates synapsins binding actin and vesicle and allows detachment
- mobilisation and direction towards active zone: vesicle membrane protein Rab3 interacts with active zone intrinsic protein Rim
- Interaction between V-snare (synaptobrevin) with T-snare on membrane (SNAP25 and sintaxin)
- Priming: interaction of V/T snares generates pulling force to cause vesicle contact with membrane
- Ca2+ binds to synaptotagmin, causes conformational shape allowing interaction with T-snares, binds to membrane phospholipids and causes FUSION PORE formation
- Endocytosus (either fast or slow) for recycling
how are neurotransmitters recycled (3)
- hydrolytic enzymes
- fast/slow endocytosis
- diffusion from cleft into blood and then removal via circulation