LECTURE 2

By
DR/Minerva Iskander
The human central nervous system contains (10 billon)
. neurons
The neuron is the basic building blocks of the nervous
.system
MORPHOLOGY OF THE NEURON
It has five to seven processes called dendrites that extent*
. outward from the cell body
It has also long fibrous axon that originates from*
.thickened are of the cell body
The axon divides into terminal branches , each ending in a*
.number of synaptic knobs
.The outer side of the axon has a sheath of myelin*
Myelin sheath is made of protein-lipid complex made up
.by schwann-cell
Sshwann cells are glialike cell found along peripheral*
.nerves
The myelin sheath envelops the axon expect at its ending*
.and at nodes of Ranvier
NODES OF RANVIER
It is a periodic gap in the
insulating sheath (myelin)
on the axon of certain
neurons that serves to
facilitate the rapid
conduction of nerve
.impulses
In disease called multiple sclerosis (MS), it is an*
autoimmune disease where there is patchy destruction of
.myelin in the CNS
The loss of myelin is associated with delayed or blocked*
conduction of the stimulus
STRUCTURE OF THE NEURONS
It has important zones*
The receptor or dendritic zone a site where propagated )1
action potentials are generated
Axonal process)2
It’s function to transmit impulse to the nerve endings
The cell body)3
It is often located at the dendritic zone end of the axon,
where all the fundamental process takes places
CHARACTERISTIC OF NERVE CELL
.i) They are highly specialized unit cells
Neurons have the ability to receive stimuli from within )ii(
or outside the body and to conduct (send) impulses
.(signals) t o different parts of the body
iii)Nerve cell has a low threshold for excitation. The
stimulus may be electrical, chemical or mechanical
ACTION POTENTIAL
This is the electrical response of neurons: the main
language of the nervous system. This is due to changes
in the conduction of ions across the cell membrane that
.are produced by alterations in ion channels
The impulse is normally transmitted along the axon to it’s*
.termination
Conduction is an active process and the impulse moves*
.along the nerve at constant amplitude and velocity
DEFINITION OF ACTION POTENTIAL
It is a temporary shift (from negative to positive) in the
neuron's membrane potential caused by ions suddenly
.flowing in and out of the neuron
FUNCTION OF ACTION POTENTIAL
Action potentials are nerve signals. Neurons generate and
conduct these signals along their processes in order
to transmit them to the target tissues. Upon
stimulation, they will either be stimulated, inhibited, or
.modulated in some way
Once the cell reaches a certain threshold, an action
potential will fire, sending the electrical signal down the
.axon
RESTING MEMBRANE POTENTIAL
A resting (non-signaling) neuron has a voltage across its
membrane called the resting membrane potential, or
simply the resting potential. The resting potential is
determined by concentration gradients of ions across the
membrane and by membrane permeability to each type
.of ion
The resting membrane potential is a result of different
concentrations inside and outside the cell. The difference
in the number of positively charged potassium ions (K+)
inside and outside the cell dominates the resting
membrane potential
When the membrane is at rest, K+ ions accumulate inside*
the cell
The negative charge within the cell is created by the cell *
membrane being more permeable to potassium ion
.movement than sodium ion movement
In neurons, potassium ions are maintained at high*
concentrations within the cell while sodium ions are
.maintained at high concentrations outside of the cell
The ions (K, Na, Cl) are not equally disturbed along the*
.cell membrane
At rest the inside side of the cell is negative (mean it is *
less positive than outside)
.it is -70mv
There is something called voltage gated channel which
open only when membrane potential reached certain
value. These channels are selective :allow only one type
of ions to pass
Step 1 - Resting Potential. Sodium and potassium*
... .channels are closed
Step 2 - Depolarization. Sodium channels open in*
response to a stimulus. The inside become positive due
...to opening of sodium channels
Step 3 - Repolarization. Na+ channels close and K+*
... .channels open to get K out of the cell
Step 4 - Resting Conditions. Na+ and K+ channels are*
.closed
QUIZ
..………Resting membrane potential equal*
What are the components of neuron*
THANK YOU