Human Anatomy Study Guide

Chapter 14: Nervous Tissue

Nervous System:

- Central Nervous System (CNS): composed of the brain and spinal cord
- Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): composed of cranial nerves, spinal nerves, and ganglia

Functional Divisions of the Nervous System

- Sensation: receiving information about the environment, outside or inside the body. These
sensations are known as stimuli, these activate different sensory receptors within in the body.
Sensory information travels towards the CNS through the PNS through the afferent branch of
the PNS.
o Somatic Sensory: when information arises from the sensory receptors in the skin,
skeletal muscles, or joints
o Visceral Sensory: when information arises from the sensory receptors in the blood
vessels or internal organs
- Response: sensory stimuli that produce a response in effector organs (such as a muscle or
gland). The efferent (motor) branch of the PNS carries signals away from the CNS to the effector
organs.
o Somatic Motor: when effector organ is a skeletal muscle
o Visceral (Autonomic) Motor: when effector organ is cardiac or smooth muscle or
glandular tissue
- Integration: stimuli that are received by sensory structures and communicated to the nervous
system where the information is processed. Stimuli are compared with or integrated with other
stimuli or memories of previous stimuli, leads to a specific response that will be generated.
o Ex: sensory information from the PNS is processed and interpreted, the CNS then
creates a motor plan that is executed by the efferent branch working w/effector organs.

Functional Classifications of Neurons

- Sensory (Afferent) Neurons: respond to stimuli, from sensory receptors to the CNS
- Motor (Efferent) Neurons: generate response, from CNS to muscle or gland
- Interneurons (association neurons): found in the CNS, responsible for receiving, processing,
storing information, and choosing an appropriate response

Dendritic
spines

Dendrites Direction of Dendrites

nerve impulse
("input")
Chromatophilic
Chromatophilic
substances
substances
Nucleolus Nucleus
Nucleus

Cell
Cell body
body
Axon hillock
Axon
hillock

Direction
of nerve impulse
("output") Axon

Axon
Axon collateral

Neurolemmocyte
LM 100x
Neurofibril node
(b)

Myelin sheath

Telodendria

Synaptic knobs

Input
Output

(a)

b: © Ed Reschke
Glial Cell: a type of cell that provides framework of tissue to support neurons and their activities. They
do not produce electrical impulses, they maintain homeostasis, form myelin, and provide
support/protection for neurons.

- CNS Glial Cells

o Astrocytes: support, maintain extracellular environment, remove excess
neurotransmitter, direct neural growth, induce blood-brain barrier in CNS
o Oligodendrocytes: create myelin, insulation
o Microglia Cells: immune surveillance and phagocytosis
o Ependymal Cells: create and circulate cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
- PNS Glial Cells
o Satellite Cells: support, maintain extracellular environment
o Neurolemmocytes/Schwann Cells: create myelin, insulation

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CNS Glial Ce lls

Ne uron Ce ntral c anal o f s pinal c ord

Cilia

Pe rivas c ular fe e t Epe ndymal c e lls

As tro c yte

S pinal c o rd
Capillary

(a) As troc yte (b) Epe ndymal c e lls

Olig ode ndroc yte

Nuc le us

Mic rog lial c e ll Ne uro n

Mye lin
s he ath

Axons

(c ) Mic ro glial c e ll (d) Olig ode ndroc yte

PNS Glial Ce lls

Po s te rior ro o t gang lion

S ate llite c e lls Ne uro fibril node s

Axon

Nuc le us

Ne uro le mmoc yte

Axon Ce ll bo dy of Pos te rior roo t Mye lin s he ath
s e ns o ry ne uro n

(e ) S ate llite c e lls (f) Ne uro le mmoc yte s

Myelination: myelin is a lipid-rich sheath that surrounds an axon, creating a myelin sheath that
facilitates the transmission of electrical signals along the axon. Oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells
wrap around the axon, creating several layers and enclosing the axon.

1) Neurolemmocyte starts to wrap around a portion of an axon

2) Neurolemmocyte cytoplasm and plasma membrane begin to form consecutive layers around
axon
3) The overlapping inner layers of the neurolemmocyte plasma membrane form the myelin sheath
4) Eventually, the neurolemmocyte cytoplasm and nucleus are pushed to the periphery of the cell
as the myelin sheath is formed