Nervous Tissue Flashcards
The nervous tissue consists of which type of cells?
Neurons and neuroglia.
What are neurons commonly called?
Nerve cells
Every neurons have 3 essential components, which are?
Cell body(Perikaryon or Soma), axon and dendrites.
Neurons can’t undergo cell division hence is termed as?
They are non-mitotic or amitotic.
What does neurons need continuously to survive?
Oxygen and nutrients.
What are neurons?
- Neurons are information messengers. They transmit information between different areas of the brain and between the brain and the rest of the nervous system.
- They are the structural and functional unit of the nervous system.
- They conduct nerve impulses from one part of body to another.
What other characteristics does neurons have?
- Excitability/Irritability.
- Conductivity.
- They have a high metabolic rate.
- They have extreme longevity.
- Typically non-mitotic.
Which area of neurons conduct impulses?
Axon
What is excitability/irritability?
It is the ability to initiate nerve impulses in response to a stimuli.
What is conductivity?
The ability to transmit an impulse.
What is a stimulus?
A stimulus is any change in the environment that is strong enough to initiate an action potential.
What is an action potential(Nerve impulse)?
An action potential(nerve impulse) is an electrical signal that travels along the surface of the membrane of a neuron.
What forms the grey matter in the nervous system?
Cell bodies
Where are grey matter located in the nervous system?
They are found at the periphery of the brain, in the center of the spinal cord.
What is a cell body?
- “soma” or “perikaryon”
- neuron’s control center
- responsible for receiving, integrating and sending nerve impulses
A cell body of a neuron consist of what structures?
It consist of plasma membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus with prominent nucleolus, Nissl bodies(containing Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum) and free ribosomes.
What are group of cell bodies called in the CNS?
Nuclei
What is Ganglia?
Clusters of neuron cell bodies located outside the CNS.
What is an axon (nerve fiber) ?
It is a general term for any neuronal process(extension) that emerges from the cell body of a neuron.
What forms the white matter of the nervous system?
Axons and dendrites
Where is white matter located in the nervous system?
White matter is found in the deeper tissues of the brain in the sub-cortical.
What is the function of an axon?
An axon propagates nerve impulses away from the cell body towards another neuron, a muscle fiber or a gland cell
Where do protein synthesis occur?
Protein synthesis occurs in cellular structures called ribosomes which are right outside the nucleus.
What is a chromatophilic substance?
- It consist of free and bound ribosomes producing proteins, also called Nissl bodies.
Dendrites, cell bodies, and chromatophilic substance account for the gray color of gray matter.
What is part of the CNS?
Brain and the spinal cord.
What structures are part of the PNS?
1) Cranial nerves(Nerves that extends from the brain)
2) Spinal nerves(Nerves that extends from the spinal cord)
3) Ganglia (Clusters of neuron cell bodies(somas) located outside the CNS)
Basically all nervous tissue outside the CNS.
What is the cone-shaped elevation part that extends from the cell body of a neuron called?
Axon hillock.
What does the term Anaxonic means?
That the neuron has only one axon.
What does the cytoskeleton of a neuron contain?
Neurofibrils and Microtubules.
What are neurofibrils?
Neurofibrils are composed of bundles of intermediate filaments that provide the cell shape and support.
What are Microtubules?
They are small tubes formed by thirteen filamentous strands. Each filament is composed of a protein chain called tubulin.
What is the purpose of microtubules?
Microtubules in a neuron are used to transport substances to different parts of the cell.
How are dendrites differentiated with axons?
Dendrites are shorter, smaller processes(extensions). They branch off the cell body of a neuron and cluster close to it.
What are the functions of dendrites?
1) They act as the receiving or input portion of a neuron that is it receives signals from other neurons.
2) Dendrites convey incoming impulses towards the cell body.
How are bundles of axon in the CNS called?
Tracts or Commissure
Why can’t protein synthesis occur in an axon?
Because axons doesn’t have Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum.
How are bundles of axons in the PNS called?
Nerves
How is the cytoplasm of axon called?
Axoplasm
How is the plasma membrane of an axon called?
Axolemma
Along the length of an axon there may have some particular side branches that comes out at a right angle on the axon. What is it called?
Axon collaterals.
At their end, axons and axon collaterals further branches profusely into many fine processes. What are they called?
Axon terminals(Telodendria)
What are the bulb-shaped structures at the tips of some axon terminals(Telodendria) called?
Synaptic knobs or terminal boutons.
What are the functional divisions of the nervous system?
Sensory afferent division and Motor efferent division.
How does the sensory afferent division works?
Information(Input) received by the sensory receptors is passed to a sensory(afferent) neuron by an appropriate stimulus by which an action potential(impulse) is formed in its axon which is then conveyed into the CNS through cranial or spinal nerves.
What is the function of a receptor?
A receptor detects external or internal changes and send the information to the CNS in the form of impulses by the way of the afferent neurons.
How does the motor efferent division works?
Motor(efferent) neurons transmit motor impulses(output) from the CNS to effectors(Muscles and Glands) in the periphery(PNS) through cranial or spinal nerves.
Which neurons lies between motor and sensory neurons and consist of 99% of neurons in the body?
Interneurons
The sensory(Afferent) division can be further divided into 3 other sensory system. What are they?
Somatic, Special and Visceral sensory system.
Somatic sensory system receives sensory information from which organs or structures?
From skin, fascia, joints and skeletal muscles
What kind of senses are involved in the general somatic sensory system?
Touch, Pain, Pressure, Vibration, Temperature and Proprioception.
Special sensory system receives sensory information from what?
Taste, Vision, Hearing, Balance and Smell.
What is the function of visceral sensory system?
- Monitor internal organs
- Nerve impulses are transmitted from blood vessels and viscera to the CNS.
The visceral senses primarily include:
Temperature and Stretch of the organ wall.
The motor(efferent) division can be further divided into 2 other motor system. What are they?
Somatic Nervous System(SNS) and Autonomic Nervous System(ANS).
What is the Somatic Nervous System(SNS)?
- Part of Motor Nervous System
- It conducts nerve impulses from the CNS to the skeletal muscles causing them to contract.
- It is called voluntary nervous system (contraction under conscious control).
What is the Autonomic Nervous System?
- Part of Motor Nervous System
- Innervates internal organs.
- Regulates smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands without our control. (involuntary nervous system)
- Divided into sympathetic and parasympathetic.
What does structural classification of neurons means?
The number of processes extending from the cell body of a neuron.