Introduction to nervous system

Professor Philip Bradley

Overview
Neurons

• Neurons come in all

shapes and sizes
• Three basic
components
– Cell body (soma)
– Axon
– Dendrites
Typical neuron
 Spinal cord

• Grey matter contains

cell bodies
• White matter contains
myelinated axonal
tracts
– ascending (sensory)
– Descending (motor)
 Divisions of nervous system
• Central nervous system
– All parts of neuron contained with brain and
spinal cord
• Peripheral nervous system
– Axon of neuron lies outside the brain or spinal
cord and runs to (afferent) or from (efferent) a
target organ
 The spinal nerve
Dorsal
root Interneuron

Dorsal horn
White matter
Dorsal
ramus Grey matter

Ventral horn
Ventral
root Motoneuron
Ventral
ramus Cross section of spinal cord
 Peripheral nervous system (1)
• PNS neurons have axons which extend beyond
the brain or spinal cord
• PNS has two divisions - somatic and autonomic
• PNS somatic neurons are motor to skeletal muscle
and sensory from skin or special sense organs
• PNS autonomic neurons are sensory or motor to
viscera. Two divisions:-
– sympathetic
– parasympathetic
 Peripheral nervous system (2)

• Axons may be myelinated by Schwann cells

– nodes of Ranvier
– saltatory conduction
• Relationship between extent of myelination,
axon diameter and conduction velocity
Conduction. velocity  diameterofaxon
– A fibres, myelinated, large diam., long internodes velocity 15-100 m..s-1
– B fibres, myelinated, small diam., short internodes, velocity 3-14 m.s-1
– C fibres, unmyelinated, thin, velocity 0.5 -2 m.s-1
Myelination
 Peripheral nervous system (3)
• Peripheral axons will regenerate following
injury
• Axons run in fascicles within nerves
• Nerves have connective tissue partitions
– epineurium, perineurium, endoneurium
 Central nervous system

• Cells have axons and dendrites entirely contained

within brain or spinal cord
• Axons may be myelinated by oligodendroglia
• CNS isolated from plasma by blood-brain barrier
• CNS local environment regulated by astroglia
• CNS axons do not regenerate following injury
Oligodendroglia
 Synapses (1)
• Point of communication between two neurons
• Pre-synaptic bouton has vesicles containing
neurotransmitter which is released at specialised sites
following arrival of an action potential and Ca2+ influx
• Neurotransmitter enters synaptic cleft and diffuses to
receptors embedded in a specialisation of the post-
synaptic cell (the post-synaptic density)
• Neurotransmitter is then destroyed or taken back up
into presynaptic bouton
Synapses
 Synapses (2)

• Synapses may be axo-spinous, axo-dendritic or

axo-somatic
• Synapses may be excitatory or inhibitory
depending on transmitter/ receptor combination
• Excitatory transmitters
– glutamate, acetyl choline
• Inhibitory transmitters
– GABA, glycine