CNS Histology 1

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 Introduction

 Central nervous system


 The central glial cells
 The cerebrum
 The spinal cord (or medulla spinalis)
• Anatomically, the nervous system is divided into
the following:

 The central nervous system (CNS).

 The peripheral nervous system (PNS).


 The central nervous system consists of:
 The brain.
 The spinal cord.

 The peripheral nervous system (PNS) consists of:

 Cranial, spinal, and peripheral nerves.


 Ganglia.
 Specialized nerve endings (both motor and
sensory).
In the brain:-
 The gray matter forms the cortex.
 The white matter forms the inner medulla.

 The cerebral cortex (gray matter) is the


outermost layer of the brain, and it contains:
 Nerve cell bodies.
 Axons.
 Dendrites.
 Central glial cells.
 The white matter of the brain contains only
axons of the nerve cells plus the associated
glial cells and blood vessels.
 They are supporting cells found in both the
gray and white matter of the CNS.
 They are:-
1. Astrocytes
2. Oligodendrocytes
3. Microglia
4. Ependymal cells
 Astrocytes are the largest of the neuroglial
cells.
 They form a network of cells within the CNS
and communicate with neurons to support and
modulate many of their activities.
 The ends of the processes expand, forming
end feet that cover large areas of the outer
surface of the vessel or axolemma.
 Protoplasmic astrocytes.

 Fibrous astrocytes.
 They are more prevalent in the gray matter of
the brain.
 These astrocytes have numerous, short,
branching cytoplasmic processes.
Protoplasmic astrocytes
 They are more common in the inner core of the
brain (i.e. white matter).
 These astrocytes have fewer processes, and
they are relatively straight.
Fibrous astrocytes
 Both types of astrocytes contain prominent
bundles of intermediate filaments composed of
glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). The
filaments are more numerous in fibrous
astrocytes.
 Antibodies to GFAP are used as specific stains
to identify astrocytes in sections and tissue
cultures.
1. Astrocytes play important roles in the
movement of metabolites and wastes to and
from neurons.
2. They help maintain the tight junctions of the
capillaries that form the blood–brain barrier.
3. Astrocytes provide a covering for the “bare
areas” of myelinated axons (at the nodes of
Ranvier and at synapses).
4. They may confine neurotransmitters to the
synaptic cleft and remove excess
neurotransmitters by pinocytosis.
5. Protoplasmic astrocytes on the brain and
spinal cord surfaces extend their processes
(subpial feet) to the basal lamina of the pia
mater to form the glia limitans, a relatively
impermeable barrier surrounding the CNS.
6. Astrocytes modulate neuronal activities by
buffering the potassium concentration in
the extracellular space of the brain.
 Oligodendrocytes produce and maintain the
myelin sheath in the CNS.

 The myelin sheath in the CNS is formed by


concentric layers of oligodendrocyte plasma
membrane.

 Oligodendrocytes appear in specially stained


light microscopic preparations as small cells
with relatively few processes compared with
astrocytes.
 Each oligodendrocyte gives off several
tonguelike processes, each process wraps
itself around a part of an axon, forming an
internodal segment of myelin.
 The multiple processes of a single
oligodendrocyte may myelinate one axon or
several nearby axons.
 Microglia are the smallest of the neuroglial cells.

 They are phagocytotic cells.

 And have relatively small, elongated nuclei.

 Microglia have short, twisted processes. Both the


processes and the cell body are covered with
numerous spikes.

 The spikes may be the equivalent of the ruffled


border seen on other phagocytotic cells.
 Microglia proliferate and become actively
phagocytotic in regions of injury and disease.

 Microglial cells are considered part of the


mononuclear phagocytotic system and originate
from granulocyte/monocyte progenitor (GMP)
cells.
 Recent evidence suggests that microglia play a
critical role in defense against invading
microorganisms and neoplastic cells.
 They remove bacteria, injured cells, and the
debris of cells that undergo apoptosis.
 Ependymal cells form the epithelial-like lining of
the ventricles of the brain and spinal canal.

 They form a single layer of cuboidal to-columnar


cells.

 They are tightly bound by junctional complexes


located at the apical surfaces. Unlike a typical
epithelium, ependymal cells lack an external
lamina.
 At the TEM level, the basal cell surface exhibits
numerous infoldings that interdigitate with
adjacent astrocyte processes.
 The apical surface of the cell possesses cilia
and microvilli. The latter are involved in
absorbing cerebrospinal fluid.
 Within the system of the brain ventricles, these
ependymal cells are further modified to produce
the cerebrospinal fluid by transport and secretion
of materials derived from adjacent capillary
loops.
 The modified ependymal cells and associated
capillaries are called the choroid plexus.
 The cerebral cortex has six layers as follows:
I. The plexiform layer (or molecular layer).
II. The external granular layer.
III. The external pyramidal layer.
IV. The internal granular layer.
V. The internal pyramidal.
VI. Multiform (polymorphic) cell layer.
 It consists largely of fibers, most of which travel
parallel to the surface, and relatively few cells,
mostly neuroglial cells and occasional horizontal
cells of Cajal.
Layer I: Molecular layer
 It consists mainly of small pyramidal cells, and
granule cells, also called stellate cells.
Layer II: External granular
 It is not sharply demarcated from layer II.
 However, the pyramidal cells are somewhat
larger and posses a typical pyramidal shape.
Layer III: External pyramidal
 This layer is characterized by the presence of
many small granule cells (stellate cells).
Layer IV: Internal granular
 This layer contains pyramidal cells that are
smaller than the pyramidal cells of layer III (the
external pyramidal) but in the motor area are
extremely large and are called Betz cells.
Layer V: Internal pyramidal
 This layer contains cells with diverse shapes,
many of which have a spindle fusiform shape.
These cells are called fusiform cells.
 Other cells are present (pyramidal cells, granule
cells, and Martinotti cells).
Layer VI: Multiform layer
 The spinal cord is organized into two discrete
parts:-
 The outer part (the white matter).
 The inner part (the gray matter).
 The outer part, called the white matter of the
cord, contains ascending and descending nerve
fibers. Some of the fibers go to and from the
brain, whereas others connect different levels
of the spinal cord.

 The inner part of the spinal cord, called the


gray matter, contains the cell bodies of
neurons as well as nerve fibers.
 The gray matter forms an H- or butterfly-
shaped pattern surrounding the central canal.
 The gray matter is described as having dorsal
(posterior) horns and ventral (anterior) horns.
Posterior gray commissure

Central canal

Anterior gray commissure


 The ventral horns contain the large cell bodies
of motor neurons.

 The dorsal horns contain neurons that receive


information from the sensory neurons whose
cell bodies are located in the dorsal root
ganglia.
Anterior horn cells (motor neurons)
Nucleus

Nuclei of
Neuroglial
cells

Nissl bodies
Neuropil
Silver stain Toluidine blue stain
Summary
Thank you,,,

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