Neurones (cells of NS) Flashcards
What are the 2 main cell types that the brain is made up of?
- Neurones = cell to cell communication (x10^11)
- Glia = homeostasis (x10^12)
What are 2 problems that occured when discovering the neurone?
They are VERY small!
- Typical brian cell = 10-50um
- Need a microscope
Need thin brain slices from a ‘squidy brain’
- Need to know how to fix and cut tissue
How was the neurone discovered?
1740 = Emanual Swedenborg, first description of the neurone
1873 = Camillio Golgi, Goli stain revealed neurones of the brain
1888 = Ramon Y Cajal, used Golgi stain to study circuitry of many brain regions
1891 = Vilhelm von Waldeyer, coined the term ‘neurone’
What was the two theories proposed to explaine neurones?
- Reticular theory
- Neurone doctrine
What was the Reticular theory?
- Golgi
- NS made up of a single continuous syncytium of neurones
- Communicate via continuity
Was wrong
What was the Neurone doctrine?
- Cajal
- NS made up of individual neurones seperated by small gaps
- Communicate via contact
Was right
Summary 1:
- NS made up of neurones and glia
- Golgi and Cajal attributed to understnading the structure of the NS
- These cells are individual entities (neuron doctrine)
What are the main parts of the neurone body?
- Cell body
- Dendrites
- Axon (may be myelinated)
- Axon terminals
What is the role of a neurone?
Receive, process and transmit electrical signals from one part of the NS to another
What channels are found in the neuronal membrane?
- Na+ (into the cell)
- K+ (going out of cell)
These help to maintain a gradient
What are the key parts found the in cell body (soma) of a neurone?
- RER
- Ribsomes
- Mitochondrion
- Nucleus
- Golgi apparatus
- SER
Contains everything the cell needs
What happens in the nucleus found in the soma?
RNA exported out of nucleus, goes to RER to gold apparatus & sent to areas in the neurone
(Transcription)
What is the RER an important store of?
Na+
How (in basic terms) can the neurone be excited?
G proteins in membrane binds to gluatamte which allows Ca+ channels to open to trigger excitation
Why is it important that there are mitochondria in neurones?
Neurones use glucose as main source of energy
They transfer glucose to pyruvate - in the cell this only produces 2 ATP
So using mitochondria they can perform krebs cycle to produce 36ATP
Important for cellular respiration
What are the 3 tubes that amke up the cytoskeleton?
- Microtubule (20nm)
- Neurofilament (10nm)
- Microfilament (5nm)
These are constantly being broken down & rebuilt
What are the microtubules associated with?
Alzheimers
What is microfilament made up of?
Individual atoms (actin molecules)
How long is the longest axon in the human body?
1m long
What is the role of axons?
Action potential propagation
Can be myelinated or unmelinated
What order do potentials travel down the axon?
Axon hillock > axon proper > axon terminal
What are the two directions of axonal travel?
- Anterograde
- Retrograde
Can the axon synthesise proteins?
No protein synthesis can occur here
Must be made in the cell body & ttransported by the cytoskeleton
What direction of axonal travel in Anterograde?
Foward along the axon