LO 1 - Discuss the structure of peripheral nerves

The nerves of the peripheral system

- The Peripheral system is made of the cranial nerves, the spinal nerves and their nerves, roots
and peripheral branches
- There are 31 pairs of spinal nerves – they’re all mixed meaning that they’re all both motor and
sensory

The peripheral nervous system is divided into:

- Somatic nervous system
- Autonomic nervous system

And then:

- Afferent  sensory neurones

- Efferent  motor neurones
o SNS – skeletal muscle control
o ANS – visceral functions

Nerve structure
They are made up of many individual nerves fibres that are all in a
bundle (fascicles) made up of connective tissue.
 Around the individual nerve fibres is the ENDONEURIUM.
 Each fascicle is surrounded PERINERIUM
 The whole nerve is surrounded by EPINEURIUM
 The connective tissues are continuous of the meninges of the
spinal cord. As you go inwards- dura, arachnoid and pia.
 There are blood vessels in the nerves.
Nerve endings

Afferent nerve endings :

- Exteroceptors (in skin)
o Temperature
o Touch - Meissner’s corpuscle
o Pain - nociceptor
o Pressure – Pacinian corpuscle
- Proprioceptors (golgi tendon organ)
- Interoceptors
o Internal organs interpret stretch, pressure,
temperature and chemical changes
- Specialist
o Vision, hearing, olfactory, taste, balance

Efferent nerve endings:

- Neuromuscular junction
- Secretory cells

Classification
- Peripheral nerves are classed as A, B and C based on myelination, diameter and conduction
velocity
- A group:
o Large diameter, myelinated and high conduction velocity
o Divided into four subtypes:
 Alpha – primary receptors of muscle spindles and golgi tendon organs
 Beta - secondary receptors of muscle spindle and contribute to cutaneous
mechanoreceptors
 Delta – pain, pressure and temperature
 Gamma – intrinsic activity of muscle spindle
- B group:
o Myelinated, small diameter and low conduction
o Mainly involved in autonomic function
- C group:
o Small diameter, unmyelinated and low conduction velocity
o Often grouped in Remak bundles
o This is when an unmyelinated Schwann cell bundles the axons
o Respond to thermal, mechanical and chemical stimuli
- Pain – both A delta and C carry pain impulses
o A is faster and so carries sharp pain
o C is unmyelinated and carries longer lasting pain sensation

Route
- Afferent take sensory information via the rami 
spinal nerve  dorsal root ganglion  dorsal horn
 o Posterior ramus communicates with posterior structures
o Anterior ramus communicates with anterior structures
 Both contain SNS and ANS
o Grey and white ramus only contain ANS neurones
- The posterior root ganglion shown to the right is where the PNS synapses and becomes the CNS
- CNS makes decision on what effect needs to happen
- Efferent nerves exit the spinal cord via the ventral horn  ventral root  spinal nerve  rami

References

1. TeachMePhysiology. 2020. Peripheral Nervous System - Structure - Summary - Teachmephys.

[online]
2. Courses.lumenlearning.com. 2020. Nerves | Boundless Anatomy And Physiology. [online]
3. Gibson, S., 2020. Synaptic Transmission.
4. NYSORA. 2020. Histology Of The Peripheral Nerves And Light Microscopy - NYSORA. [online]
5. Dansie, P. and O’Connor, S., 2020. The Peripheral Nervous System.