Introduction

• Nervous System (NS) includes:

• Central Nervous System (CNS)
• brain and the spinal cord
• Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
• outside the CNS
• Somatic and autonomic divisions (ANS)
 CENTRAL NERVOUS
SYSTEM
Brain
Spinal cord

PERIPHERAL NERVOUS
SYSTEM
Peripheral nerves
An Overview of the Nervous System

• PNS
• Afferent Division
• Monitoring inside and outside of body, info sent to
brain
• Efferent Division:
• Somatic: controls skeletal muscles
• Autonomic (ANS): controls internal organs
An Overview of the Nervous System
• ANS can be further subdivided into:

• Parasympathetic division
• housekeeper, conserves energy: eg. decreases
heart rate

• Sympathetic division
• flight or fight, increases alertness: eg. increases
heart rate

Divisions work opposite of each other!

A Functional Overview of the Nervous System
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
(brain and spinal cord)
Information
processing

Sensory Motor
information commands
within within
afferent efferent
division PERIPHERAL division
NERVOUS Includes
SYSTEM

Somatic nervous Autonomic

system nervous system

Parasympathetic Sympathetic
division division

Special sensory Somatic sensory

receptors (provide receptors (monitor
sensations of smell, skeletal muscles, joints,
taste, vision, skin surface; provide
balance, and position sense and
hearing) touch, pressure, pain, Skeletal
muscle • Smooth
and temperature muscle
sensations) • Cardiac
muscle
Visceral sensory receptors (monitor • Glands
internal organs, including those
of cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive,
urinary, and reproductive systems)

RECEPTORS EFFECTORS
Cellular Organization in Neural Tissue

• Neural tissue has two cell types:

• Neurons
• can transfer and process information in NS,
capable of signaling
• soma, axon, and dendrites
• Neuroglia
• Support and protect neurons, cannot signal
Brain
Cell body Nucleus of
neuron
Nucleolus
Spinal cord

Axon

Dendrites

Diagrammatic view of a representative neuron

Cellular Organization in Neural Tissue

• Functions of Neuroglia/Glial cells

• framework for neural tissue
• Maintain intercellular environment
• Act as phagocytes
• Over 100 billion
• 5 times the number of neurons
• can reproduce
Cellular Organization in Neural Tissue

• Neuroglia of CNS
• Astrocytes (maintain BBB)
• Oligodendrocytes (make myelin)
• Microglia (phagocytes, clean up)
• Ependymal cells (line ventricles)

• Neuroglia of PNS
• Satellite cells
• Schwann cells
The Classification of Neuroglia

Neuroglia

are found in

Peripheral Nervous System Central Nervous System

contains contains

Satellite cells Schwann cells Oligodendrocytes Astrocytes Microglia Ependymal cells

Surround neuron cell Surround all axons in Myelinate CNS Maintain blood–brain Remove cell Line ventricles
bodies in ganglia; PNS; responsible for axons; provide barrier; provide structural debris, wastes, (brain) and central
regulate O2, CO2, myelination of structural support; regulate ion, and pathogens canal (spinal cord);
nutrient, and peripheral axons; framework nutrient, and dissolved-gas by phagocytosis assist in producing,
neurotransmitter levels participate in repair concentrations; absorb and circulating, and
around neurons in process after injury recycle neurotransmitters; monitoring
ganglia form scar tissue after injury cerebrospinal fluid
Histology of Neural Tissue in the CNS
CENTRAL CANAL

Ependymal
cells

Gray
matter

Neurons

Microglial
cell

Myelinated
axons

Internode

Myelin Oligodendrocyte
(cut) Astrocyte

Axon Axolemma
White
matter
Myelin sheath
gap

Unmyelinated
axon

Basal lamina

Capillary
 POSTERIOR

Gray matter
White matter
Central canal

ANTERIOR

Ependymal
cells
Central
canal

Central canal LM  450

Light micrograph showing the

ependymal lining of the central canal
Cellular Organization in Neural Tissue
• Details of a Neuron
• Nucleus and nucleolus
• Ribosomes (clusters called Nissl bodies)
• Mitochondria
• Golgi apparatus
• No centrosomes – cannot reproduce
• Axon
• Axon hillock
• Axoplasm
• vesicles containing neurotransmitters
A Review of Neuron Structure

Dendrites Cell body Axon Terminal boutons

Stimulated by Contains the nucleus, Conducts nerve impulse Affect another neuron
environmental changes or mitochondria, ribosomes, and (action potential) toward or effector organ
the activities of other cells other organelles and inclusions synaptic terminals (muscle or gland)

Axon hillock

Mitochondrion

Nucleus

Nucleolus

Nissl bodies Flow of information

(clusters of RER
and free ribosomes)

Dendritic
spines
Cellular Organization in Neural Tissue

• Neuron Classification
• Structural
• Based on number of processes extending from cell
body
• Functional
• Sensory (afferent)
• Motor (efferent)
• Interneuron (in CNS only)
Structural Classification of Neurons

Bipolar neuron Unipolar neuron Multipolar neuron

Dendrites Dendrites

Initial
segment
Dendrites
Axon

Dendrite

Axon
Axon

Terminal Axon
boutons

Terminal Terminal
boutons boutons

Bipolar neurons Unipolar neurons have Multipolar neurons

have two processes a single have more than two
separated by the elongate process with processes; there is a
cell body. the cell body situated single axon and
to one side. multiple dendrites.
Cellular Organization in Neural Tissue

• Functional Classification of Neurons

• Sensory
• Sends information from PNS to CNS, receptors
pick up info
• Motor
• Sends information from CNS to periphery/effectors
• Interneurons
• between motor and sensory neurons
The Nerve Impulse

• The “speed” of impulse depends on:

• Presence of myelin and large diameter axon
• Fast impulse
• Lack of myelin and small diameter axon
• Slow impulse
Synaptic Communication

• synaptic junctions:
• on dendrite of another neuron: axodendritic
• on soma of another neuron: axosomatic
• on axon of another neuron: axoaxonic
• neuron on muscle: neuromuscular
• neuron on gland: neuroglandular
1. Synapses with another neuron
Synapses with
another neuron
Neuron
Neuron

Dendrites Axolemma

2. Neuromuscular synapses
Neuromuscular
Collateral synapses
branch

Terminal arborization

Terminal boutons Skeletal

muscle
3. Neuroglandular synapses
Neuroglandular
synapses

Gland
cells

A neuron may innervate (1) other neurons, (2) skeletal muscle

fibers, or (3) gland cells. Synapses are shown in boxes for each
example. A single neuron would not innervate all three.
The Structure of a Synapse

Dendrites

Axon

Myelin

Terminal arborization

Synapse Terminal boutons

Postsynaptic neurons

Impulse
conduction Terminal
arborization

Endoplasmic Terminal bouton

reticulum Mitochondrion

Synaptic vesicles

Presynaptic membrane

Synaptic cleft

Postsynaptic membrane

Diagrammatic view of a vesicular synapse between two neurons

Synaptic Communication
Impulses are conveyed in one direction only
• Sequence of events:
• action potential (AP) arrives at presynaptic membrane
• AP triggers release of neurotransmitter (NT) from
synaptic vesicles
• NT diffuses across synaptic cleft
• NT binds to postsynaptic membrane receptors
• binding causes change in permeability of postsynaptic
membrane
• change in permeability results in action potential of next
neuron
Anatomical Organization of the Nervous System

• Organization of neurons in CNS and PNS

• CNS
• collection of cell bodies in one area creates gray
matter
• Bundles of axons in an area create white matter;
called tracts and columns
• PNS
• cell bodies are found in ganglia
• Axons are bundled together to form spinal nerves
and cranial nerves
Anatomical Organization of the Nervous System

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

GRAY MATTER

Neural Cortex Centers

Gray matter on the Collections of
surface of the brain neuron cell bodies
PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM in the CNS; each
center has specific
GRAY MATTER
processing functions
Nuclei
Ganglia Collections of
Collections of
Higher Centers
neuron cell bodies
neuron cell bodies in the interior of The most complex
in the PNS the CNS centers in the brain

WHITE MATTER WHITE MATTER

Nerves
Bundles of axons Tracts Columns
in the PNS Bundles of CNS Several tracts that
axons that share a form an anatomically
common origin and distinct mass
destination

RECEPTORS

PATHWAYS
Centers and tracts that connect
the brain with other organs and
EFFECTORS systems in the body

Ascending (sensory) pathway

Descending (motor) pathway