FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION OF THE

NERVOUS SYSTEM

1. Overview: The Central and Peripheral Nervous

Systems
A. The central nervous system
• Brain
• Spinal cord
B. The peripheral nervous system
• Peripheral nerves
 somatic portion
The nervous system
consists of the central
nervous system (CNS) and
the peripheral nervous
system (PNS).
  autonomic portion
- sympathetic nerves
- parasympathelic nerves
• Ganglia
2. Cells of the Nervous System
A. Neurons
• Structures
 Dendrites
 Cell body - soma
 Axon
 Synaptic terminal
• Classification
 By structure
 Multipolar
 Bipolar
 Unipolar
• By function
- Sensory neuron (afferent neuron)
- Motor neuron (efferent neuron)
- Interneuron
• Axonal transport
 Antigrade transport
- Fast: 400mm/day (organelles:
synaptic vesicles, mitochondria, etc.)
- Slow:1-2mm/day (structural proteins:
actin, microtubules, etc.)
- Kinesin: a protein motor
 Retrograde transport
- Dynein
Axonal transport of membranous
organelles occurs in two forms: slow
axonal transport, and fast axonal transport.
B. Glia (Glial cells)
• Oligodendroglia (CNS)/Schwann cells (PNS)
 Myelination
 Nodes of Ranvier
• astroglia
 Fibrous astrocyte
 Protoplasmic astrocyte
• Microglia
In the CNS,
oligodendrocytes form
myelin around
portions of several
interneuron axons.
Structural map of the location and function of glial cells.
3. The Membrane Potential and the Action Potential
A. Resting membrane potential (RMP)
• RMP: -60 TO -90 mV
predominately diffusion potential (largely K+)
• Ion channels of nervous membranes
 Passive ion channels
 found in all areas of the nerve cell
 channel specificity
 Chemical activated ion channels
 located predominantly on dendrites and the
soma
 - normally closed
- also known as receptors

• Voltage-activated ion channels

 found in axons and soma
 open at certain voltage
 responsible for generating and
propagating action potential
• Electrochemical gradients across the cell
membrane
 e.g. K+
 RMP = Equilibrium potential (E), can be
mathematically calculated
• Nernst equation:
E[ion]= RT/zF x ln([ion]o/[ion]i)

where z is the ion valance and F is the faraday

constant
or EK = 58 x log10([K+]o/[ K+]i) at 20° C

e.g. EK = -75mV, ENa = +55 mV

• Goldman equation:

RT Pk[K+]o PNa[Na+]o PCl[Cl-]i

Em = X ln + +
zF Pk[K+]i PNa[Na+]i PCl[Cl-]o
B. The action potential
A temporary change in the membrane potential
• Components of action potential
Resting potential membrane depolarization
 threshold  action potention 
repolariztion  hyperpolarization
• Ion channels and the action potential
 Na+ channel:
- Resting state
- Activation state
- Inactivation state
  K+ channel:
- Resting state
- Slow activation state
• Phases of the action potential and
corresponding movements of ions
• Refractory periods
- Absolute refractory period
- Relative refractory period
• Propagation of the action potential
Diagram indicates
the membrane
potential events
and the changes in
membrane ion
permeability during
an action potential.
• Velocity of the action potential
 Unmyelinated axon: diameter
 Myelinated nerve fibers
- Diameter of the axon
- Distance between nodes of Ranvier -
saltatory conduction
C. Communication between nerve cells: synaptic
transmission
• Electrical synapses
 Gap junctions
- Connexon
- Connexin
 Communication between adjacent cells
- By passing molecules between cells
- Found between
axons/soma
axons/dendrites
dendrites/dendrites
soma/soma
  Provide a rapid communication
between cells
 Synchronize the activity of many
adjoining cells
• Chemical synapses
 Mediate communication between
distant cells by transmitter-receptor
interaction
 Components of chemical synapses
- Presynaptic cell
- Postsynaptic cell
- Synaptic cleft
Action potential invading
synaptic terminal 
activation of voltage-
sensitive Ca2+ channels 
Ca2+ in the terminal 
release of neurotransmitters
 coupling of the
transmitter with the receptor
 change in postsynaptic
potential
 Postsynaptic potential
- Single channel current
- Synaptic current
- Unitary postsynaptic potential
- Summation of postsynaptic potential
- Excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs)
- Inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs)
 Termination of synaptic transmission
- Reuptake
- Degradation