Neurohistology

Question 1

What is the origin of nervous tissue?

Answer 1

Ectodermally derived

Question 2

What are the two principal cell types of nervous tissue?

Answer 2

Neurones and neuroglia

Question 3

What are neurones specialised for?

Answer 3

Stimulus reception and conduction of impulse

Question 4

What do dendrites do?

Answer 4

Receive information from adjacent axons

Question 5

What do axons do?

Answer 5

Send information from one end of the neurone to the other

Question 6

What happens at an axon hillock?

Answer 6

Summation of signals from the cell body

Question 7

Which parts of the neurone are particularly rich in voltage-gated sodium channels?

Answer 7

Axon hillock, axon initial segment

Question 8

What are microtubule associated proteins (MAP2)?

Answer 8

Cytoskeletal proteins found in dendrites

Question 9

What is beta-IV spectrin?

Answer 9

Cytoskeletal protein found in axons

Question 10

What do motor neurones do?

Answer 10

Relay information from the brain and spinal cord to muscles and glands

Question 11

How does Golgi staining work?

Answer 11

Silver precipitation forms inside neurones when treated with potassium dichromate and silver nitrate

Question 12

Where are the cell bodies of multipolar motor neurones found?

Answer 12

Ventral horn of the spinal cord

Question 13

Where is Nissl substance largely absent?

Answer 13

Axon

Question 14

What are spinal ganglia?

Answer 14

Aggregations of nerve cells outside the CNS

Question 15

What do satellite cells do?

Answer 15

Surround individual ganglion cells

Question 16

What are the three neuronal subtypes?

Answer 16

Motor, sensory, interneurone

Question 17

What do interneurones do?

Answer 17

Integrate information from sensory to motor neurones

Question 18

Which cortex is divided into six layers?

Answer 18

Cerebral cortex (neocortex)

Question 19

What are the neocortex layers?

Answer 19

Molecular, external granular, external pyramidal, internal granular, internal pyramidal, multiform

Question 20

What is white matter composed of?

Answer 20

Myelinated fibres

Question 21

Which cortex is divided into three layers?

Answer 21

Cerebellar cortex

Question 22

What are the layers of the cerebellar cortex?

Answer 22

Outer molecular, single layer of Purkinje cells, granular

Question 23

What is in the outer molecular layer of the cerebellar cortex?

Answer 23

Basket and stellate cells

Question 24

What is in the granular layer of the cerebellar cortex?

Answer 24

Granule and Golgi cells

Question 25

What do Purkinje cells look like?

Answer 25

Pear-shaped bodies with distinctive dendritic tree

Question 26

Which cells are the smallest and most abundant in the brain?

Answer 26

Granule cells

Question 27

What is the blood-brain barrier composed of?

Answer 27

Endothelial cells joined by tight junctions

Question 28

What is the purpose of the blood-brain barrier?

Answer 28

Prevents diffusion of solutes and fluid into the brain and spinal cord

Question 29

What is the integrity of the blood-brain barrier dependent on?

Answer 29

Astrocyte end feet

Question 30

Which neuroglia are found in the CNS?

Answer 30

Astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglia, ependymal cells

Question 31

Which neuroglia are found in the PNS?

Answer 31

Schwann cells, satellite cells

Question 32

Which neuroglia have myelinated axons?

Answer 32

Oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells

Question 33

What do astrocytes do?

Answer 33

Provide structural and metabolic support for neurones

Question 34

What do microglia do?

Answer 34

Immune function, much like macrophages of the CNS

Question 35

What do oligodendrocytes do?

Answer 35

Form myelin sheath around multiple CNS axons

Question 36

What do Schwann cells do?

Answer 36

Form myelin sheath around a single PNS axon

Question 37

What is the purpose of myelination?

Answer 37

Provides insulation to enhance conduction velocity of action potentials