What Is The Function Of Neuroglial Cells – This colorful painting (Figure 8.3.1) could be an abstract work of modern art. You can imagine it hanging in an art museum or art gallery. In fact, the painting depicts real life — not an artistic creation. This is a photomicrograph of a human

. A neuron is one of the two basic types of cells in the nervous system. It’s another type

What Is The Function Of Neuroglial Cells

Figure 8.3.2 shows the structure of a typical neuron. Click on the individual main parts to learn more about their functions.

Nervous Tissue: Neuron And Neuroglia

Fully differentiated neurons, with all their special structures, cannot divide and form new daughter neurons. Until recently, scientists thought that new neurons could no longer be formed after prenatal brain development. In other words, they thought that people are born with all the brain neurons they will ever have, and when the neurons die, they are not replaced. However, new evidence suggests that extra neurons can form in the brain, even in adults, from the division of undifferentiated neural stem cells found throughout the brain. The production of new neurons is called neurogenesis. The extent to which it can occur is unknown, but it is unlikely to be very large in humans.

Consists of gray and white matter. Gray matter contains mainly unmyelinated structures, including cell bodies and dendrites of neurons. It is gray only in cadavers. Live gray matter is actually more pink than gray (see Figure 8.3.3). The white matter consists mainly of axons covered with

That extend to muscles, organs, or glands throughout the body. The axons in each nerve are connected like wires in a cable. Axons in nerves can be more than a meter long in an adult. The longest nerve runs from the base of the spine to the toes.

Figure 8.3.3 In this photograph of the brain of a recently deceased human patient, you can see layers of (pinkish) gray and white matter.

Central Nervous System Histology: Video & Anatomy

There are hundreds of different types of neurons in the human nervous system that have different structures and functions. Nevertheless, many neurons can be functionally classified according to the direction in which they transmit nerve impulses.

Figure 8.3.4 The axon in this diagram is part of a motor neuron. It carries nerve impulses from the central nervous system to the skeletal muscles, causing them to contract.

. The root of the word glial comes from the Greek word meaning “glue”, reflecting earlier ideas about the role of neuroglia in nervous tissues. Neuroglia were once thought to be little more than the “glue” that held all the important neurons together, but this is no longer the case. They are now known to play many important roles in the nervous system. There are several different types of neuroglia, each with a different function. In Figure 8.3.5 you can see six types of neuroglia.

Figure 8.3.5 Different types of glial cells (neuroglia) are found in the central and peripheral nervous systems.

Satellite Glia Modulate Sympathetic Neuron Survival, Activity, And Autonomic Function

In general, neuroglia provide support to neurons and help them carry out the basic function of nervous tissues, which is the transmission of nerve impulses. for example

, which increase the speed of transmission of nerve impulses. The functions of other neuroglia cells include holding neurons in place, supplying neurons with nutrients, regulating neuronal repair, destroying pathogens, removing dead neurons, and directing axons to their targets. Neuroglia may also play a role in the transmission of nerve impulses, but this is still being studied. Unlike mature neurons, mature glial cells retain the ability to divide by mitosis.

In the human brain, there are generally about equal numbers of neurons and neuroglia. If you think intelligence depends on how many neurons you have, think again. With a relatively high number

It is actually related to higher intelligence. When they analyzed Einstein’s brain, the researchers found a significantly higher ratio of neuroglia to neurons in areas of the brain associated with mathematical processing and language than normal. Also on an evolutionary scale, an increase in the ratio of neuroglia to neurons is associated with greater intelligence in species.

Astrocytes: What Are They And What Do They Do?

Would you like your brain to create new neurons that could help you become a better learner? When it comes to learning new things, what a student

Want a little more brain power? If the rat research applies to humans, then sustained aerobic exercise (such as running) may increase neurogenesis in the adult brain, especially in the hippocampus, a brain structure important for learning temporally and/or spatially complex tasks and memory. Although the research is still in its early stages, it suggests that exercise can actually lead to a “smarter” brain. Even if the research results aren’t definitively confirmed for humans, it can’t hurt to get more aerobic exercise. It’s definitely good for your body, if not your brain!

Confocal microscopy of neural tissue/mouse brain, ZEISS Microscopy Confocal Microscopy on Flickr is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/).

Parts of a neuron by Open Stax on Wikimedia Commons are used and adapted by Christine Miller under a CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Peripheral Glia Diversity

Betts, J. G., Young, K. A., Wise, J. A., Johnson, E., Poe, B., Kruse, D. H., Korol, O., Johnson, J. E., Womble, M., DeSaix, P. (2016, May 18 ). Figure 12.3 Gray and white matter [digital image]. In Anatomy and Physiology (section 12.1). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology/pages/12-1-basic-structure-and-function-of-the-nervous-system

Betts, J. G., Young, K. A., Wise, J. A., Johnson, E., Poe, B., Kruse, D. H., Korol, O., Johnson, J. E., Womble, M., DeSaix, P. (2016, May 18 ). Figure 12.8   Parts of a neuron [digital image]. In Anatomy and Physiology (Section 12.2). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology/pages/12-2-nervous-tissue

Brainard, J/CK-12 Foundation. (2016). Figure 3 The axon in this diagram is part of a motor neuron. [digital image]. inside

TEDx Talks. (2015, April 3). Success despite difficulties | Stephanie Buxhoeveden | TEDxHerndon. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuLOT6GsAxw&feature=youtu.be

Glial Cells: Types And Functions

A specialized tissue found in the central and peripheral nervous systems. It is made up of neurons and supporting cells called neuroglia. The nervous system is responsible for controlling the body and communicating between its parts.

A very complex body system of an animal that coordinates its actions and sensory information by transmitting signals to and from different parts of its body. The nervous system detects environmental changes that affect the body and then works in tandem with the endocrine system to respond to such events.

A thin, tubular bundle of central nervous system tissue that extends from the brainstem down the back to the pelvis and connects the brain to the peripheral nervous system.

A type of nervous tissue found only in the brain and spinal cord and composed primarily of unmyelinated cell bodies and dendrites of neurons.

Neuroglia: Realising Their True Potential

A lipid layer around the axon of a neuron that allows nerve impulses to travel faster along the axon.

A structure in the nervous system that consists of cable-like bundles of axons and makes up most of the peripheral nervous system.

One of the two main divisions of the nervous system, consisting of all the nervous tissue that lies outside the central nervous system.

A type of neuron that carries nerve impulses from sensory receptors in tissues and organs to the central nervous system; also called an afferent neuron.

Functional Diversity Of Astrocytes In Neural Circuit Regulation

A specialized nerve cell that responds to a specific type of stimulus, such as light or chemicals, by producing a nerve impulse.

Cellular organizational level between cells and the whole organ. A tissue is a collection of similar cells and their extracellular matrix of the same origin, which together perform a specific function. Organs are then formed by the functional union of several tissues.

A group of tissues in a living organism that have been adapted to perform a specific function. In higher animals, organs are grouped into organ systems; for example, the esophagus, stomach, and liver are organs of the digestive system.

A type of neuron that transmits nerve impulses from the central nervous system to muscles and glands; also called an efferent neuron.

Glial Cell Activation And Neuroinflammation: How They Cause Centralized Pain

A type of neuroglia whose main function is to provide support and insulation to axons in the central nervous system of some vertebrates, equivalent to the function performed by Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system.

A variety of neuroglia that keep peripheral nerve fibers (both myelinated and unmyelinated) alive. In myelinated axons, Schwann cells form the myelin sheath.

An extension of the cell body of a neuron that receives nerve impulses from other neurons. A neuron will have several dendrites extending from the cell body.

The place where the axon terminal of a neuron transmits a chemical or electrical signal to another cell.

P2x7 Receptor And Purinergic Signaling: Orchestrating Mitochondrial Dysfunction In Neurodegenerative Diseases

One of the evenly spaced gaps in the myelin sheath along an axon that allows an action potential (electrical signal) to travel very quickly.

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