Ana 304

HISTOLOGY OF THE CNS
AND THE PNS

BY
DR JAIYEOBA-OJIGHO
JENNIFER EFE
ANA 304
INTRODUCTION
HISTOACHITECTURE OF THE CNS
Neurons
Neurons
CLASSIFICATION OF NEURONS
CLASSIFICATION OF NEURONS
MOPHOLOGY
UNIPOLAR
 Single process
 Found in lower vertebrates
BIPOLAR
 Has two process-Axon and Dendrite
 Arising from opposite ends
 Found in the olfactory mucosa,retina
MULTIPOLAR
 Many dendrites and a single axon
 Motor neurons
 Located in the brain,spinal cord
PSEUDOUNIPOLAR
 One process
 Divides into an axon and dendrite
MULTIPOLAR NEURONE. H/E STAIN
Cont
According to the neurotransmitter s they
release
• Cholinergic neurons: acetylcholine
• Aminergic neurons: adrenaline
• Peptidergic neurons: neuropeptids

Neuroglia cells
Astrocytes
 Largest glial cells
 Ectodermal in origin
 Stellate shaped
 Protoplasmic or fibrous
 Located in grey matter(protoplsmic) white matter(fibrous)
 Irregular processes(protoplasmic),straight process(fibrous)
Microglial or Mesoglia
 Mesodermal in origin
 Short processes
 Oval nuclei
 Phagocytic in function
Oligoendrocytes
 Short branched processes
 They provide myelin sheath
 Located in grey and white matter of the brain
Ependyma
 Located-Neural tube ,ventricles in the brain,central canal of spinal cord
 Low columnar or cubiodal ciliated cells
 Function –Production of cerebrospinal fluid
Schwann and satellite cells

 Supporting cells in peripheral nerves
Tanicytes
 Specialized Ependymal cells
 Long processes
Nerve
Nerve fibre
 It is a neuron which may either be myelinated or
unmyelinated
TYPES
SHEATHED ,MYELINATED-Preganglionic
fibres of the peripheral nerves
SHEATHED,UNMYLINATED-postganglionic
fibres of peripheral nerves
UNSHEATED ,MYELINATED-white matter
of brain and spinal cord
UNSHEATED, UNMYELINATED-greymatter
of brain and spinal cord
Histology of the cerebellum
Output
Histology offrom the cerebellum originates solely in
the cerebellum
the deep nuclei, where almost all of the neurons

of the cerebellum reside.
The cerebellum is divided into three

subdivisions by two fissures that travel
mediolaterally.
The flocculonodular lobe is separated from

the corpus cerebelli by the posterolateral fissure
While the primary fissure divides the corpus

cerebelli into the anterior and posterior lobe.
 ItHistology
has an outer
of the covering of cortex and a central core
cerebellum
of medulla
 The grey matter forms the cortex and is deeply
convoluted to form folia while the white matter
forms the medulla
 Cerebellar cortex is folded to form narrow leaf like

bands called folia.
 Each folium consists of central core of white matter

surrounded by thin layer of grey matter.
 Central core of white matter is arranged in the form

of the branching tree so called arbor vitae cerebelli.
Under the microscope
When viewing a histological section of cerebellar

tissue under the microscope, the lobulations
and folia of the cerebellum are immediately
evident.
Grey matter
 Consist of cell bodies

of nerve cells
 Few unmyelinated
fibres
 At a high
magnification, the
nerve cells are
arranged in three
layers
Molecular layer:
1. Histology of the cerebellum
Stellate cells
2. Basket cells: deep stellate cells
3. Unmyelinated fibres
Purkinje layer
4. Middle layer between the molecular and
granular
5. Branching flasked shaped cells: purkinje
cells
These cells have dendrites that branches into a
fan-like way into the molecoular layer
Granular layer
6. Golgi cells
7. Basket cells
8. Granular cells
9. Stellate cells
10. Many other nerve cells
White matter of the cerebellum
SPINAL CORD
SPINAL CORD
 Begins as a continuation of the medulla oblongata
 At the level of the foramen magnum
 Gives rise to 31 pairs of sinal nerves (mixed nerve)
 8cervical,12 thoracic, 5lumbar, 5sacral and 1 cocygeal
 Terminates at the level of the 1st and 2nd lumbar
vertebrae as the conus medullaris
 Caudal to the conus medullaris, are nerve roots of the
more caudal spinal nerves collectively called cauda
equina.
 Not uniform in diameter Cervical enlargement: supplies
upper limbs Lumbar enlargement: supplies lower limbs
Coverings (meninges)
 Dura mata
 Pia mata
 Arachnoid mata
Cross section Of the spinal cord
Grey matter of spinal cord
 It forms the horns viz: ventral, posterior and lateral horns
Anterior horn
1. They are shorter and broader than the posterior horn
2. They contain cell bodies of somatic motor neurons going to effector
organs
3. Column or tract cells: they have short unmyelinated fibres
Posterior horn
4. Cell bodies of somatic sensory neurons
Lateral horn
5. Present in the spinal cord at the area of the thorax and upper
lumbar region
6. Contain cell bodies of preganglionic fibres of visceral sensory and
motor neurons
7. Cell bodies are medium sized
At the centre of the grey matta is the central canal lined by ependyma
which secretes cerebrospinal fluid.
Fibres of grey matta are unmyelinated
White matter of the spinal cord
Consist of myelinated
fibres
Fibres are of two
types
sensory and motor
fibres
Sensory fibres ascend
up the cord while
motor fibres descend
down the cord
Both fibres are
seperated into tracts
specific for impulses
White matter of the spinal cord
Externally at the
vental part, the spinal
cord has a deep
median fissure
while at the posterior
part is a shallow
median septum
On the ventral and
dorsal lateral sides are
sulci which are the
sites of exit of motor
and sensory nerve
roots
Spinal cord
Grey matter White matter
1. Cell bodies are present Absent or very few
2. Has only a part of the dendrite Has most of the length of axon and
and axon dendrite
3. Has protoplasmic astrocytes Has fibrous astrocytes
4. Has oligodendroglia and Has oligodendroglia and microglia

microglia
5. Has many capillaries Has few capillaries

Histology of the Cerebrum
The cerebrum is located within the bony

cranium. It extends from the frontal bone
anteriorly to the occipital bone posteriorly.
Within the skull, the cerebrum fills the
anterior and middle cranial fossae
Histology of the Cerebrum
Fusiform cells are
spindle shaped cells
Oriented at right
angles to the
surface of the cortex
Axon arises from the

side of the cell body
Axons of horizontal cells of cajal synapses with the
dendrites of pyramidal cells
White matter of the cerebrum
Below the grey matter
It forms the central core
Myelinated nerve fibres
Some of the myelinated nerve fibres are
association fibres because they connect the
various parts of the cerebral cortex
Some are called commissural fibres because
they connect one side of the cerebral
hemisphere to the other hemisphere
PONS
Is the middle portion of the brainstem

Found between midbrain proximally and
medulla distally.
Basal pons
Comprises of criss cross bundles of longitudinal and
transverse fibres between which lies collection of
(neuronal cell bodies) called pontine nuclei which are
responsible for coordinating movement.
The longitudinal fibres comprises of two descending
fibres
1. Axons from motor cortex to that of ventral horns of the
spinal cord
2. Leaving the pons, these axons forms pyramidal tracts
of the medulla
 The secound group of descending fibres originate in
various areas of the cortex and synapse in the pontine
nuclei
Tegmental pons
The tegmentum is the evolutionarily older part of the
pons which forms part of the reticular formation – a
set of nuclei found throughout the brainstem that are
responsible for arousal and attentiveness
Descending corticospinal tracts – responsible for
voluntary motor control of the body.
Descending corticobulbar tracts – responsible for
voluntary motor control of face, head and neck.
Ascending medial lemniscus tracts – responsible for
fine touch, vibration and proprioception.
Ascending spinothalamic tracts – responsible for pain
and temperature sensation
CONT.
The pons houses important cranial nerve
nuclei(5th -7th)
On each side, the medial leminiscus is easily
identifiable
This represents the upward continuation of
proprioceptive, vibration and fine tiuch
pathways from the gracile and cuneate nuclei
of the medulla.
The cerebellar peduncles are easily identified
under histological sections
Medulla histology
Is the most distal part of the brainstem (divided
into upper and lower medullary)
Features
1. At the upper medullary level, the fourth ventricle
closes to become a narrow central canal which
continues down into the spinal cord
2. The most prominent feature of the upper
medullary is the olivery nuclues
3. This nuclues has a convulated appearance in
transverse section
4. Ajacent to the olivery nuclues are smaller dorsal
and medial olivary nuclues that form the olivary
complex
Medulla histology
These neurons of the inferior olivary nucles

relay central and spinal afferent stimuli to the
cerebellar cortex
All ascending and descending pathways in the

spinal cord pass through the medulla
One recognisable feature in this pathway is the

pyramid
The hypoglossal nuclues can also be found in

the medulla
Cont
Lower medulla
1. In the centre of the medulla, grey matter can
be seen
2. Roughly resembling shape seen in sections
of the spinal cord
3. They contain cell bodies of motor neurons
Thalamus
1. The thalami are large masses of grey matter
lying on each side of the third ventricle
2. Comprised the main bulk of the diencephalon
3. Dense aggregation of neuronal cell bodies

Peripheral nervous system
It comprises of
 peripheral nerves
 Ganglia
Ganglion
It is an aggregation of cell bodies forming a
subsidiary nerve centre outside the CNS
TYPES OF GANGLIA
Spinal ganglion or dorsal root ganglion
1. It is a sensory ganglion
2. It is located on the dorsal roots of spinal
nerves and therefore called dorsal root
ganglion
3. Neurons are pseudounipolar
4. Cell bodies are round with a large nuclues
5. Nuclues is centrally placed
6. Basophilic cytoplasm
7. These neurons transmit sensory information
from sensory receptors to CNS
TYPES OF GANGLIA
Sympathetic ganglion or autonomic ganglion
1. It is a motor ganglion
2. It is located along sympathetic nerves
3. The neurons are multipolar
4. Presence of stellate cells
5. Cytoplasm contains pigments such as
lipofuscin granules
6. Nuclues is eccentrically located
7. Nerve cells and fibres are scattered in the
ganglion
TYPES OF GANGLIA
Parasympathetic or intramural ganglion
1. The ganglion cells are multipolar
2. The cell bodies have large nuclei and
basophilic cytoplasm
3. Surrounded by numerous small support cells
called satellite cells
Comparison of spinal and
Sympathetic ganglia
S/N SPINAL SYMPATHETIC
1. Pseudounipolar neurons Multipolar
2 Afferent neurons Afferent neurons
3. Afferent fibres Afferent fibres

4. Located along spinal nerves Along motor nerves
5 Round and large cell bodies Round and large
cell bodies
6 Nuclues centrally located Eccentrically
located
7 Satellite cells surround nerve Do not surround
cells nerve cells
8 Nerve cells and fibres are in They are scattered
groups and fibres pass through in the ganglion
the centre

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HISTOLOGY OF THE CNS

AND THE PNS

• Aminergic neurons: adrenaline

• Peptidergic neurons: neuropeptids

Schwann and satellite cells

the deep nuclei, where almost all of the neurons

The cerebellum is divided into three

The flocculonodular lobe is separated from

While the primary fissure divides the corpus

 Cerebellar cortex is folded to form narrow leaf like

 Each folium consists of central core of white matter

 Central core of white matter is arranged in the form

When viewing a histological section of cerebellar

 Consist of cell bodies

1. Cell bodies are present Absent or very few

3. Has protoplasmic astrocytes Has fibrous astrocytes

4. Has oligodendroglia and Has oligodendroglia and microglia

5. Has many capillaries Has few capillaries

The cerebrum is located within the bony

Axon arises from the

Is the middle portion of the brainstem

These neurons of the inferior olivary nucles

All ascending and descending pathways in the

One recognisable feature in this pathway is the

The hypoglossal nuclues can also be found in

2. Comprised the main bulk of the diencephalon

3. Dense aggregation of neuronal cell bodies

3. Afferent fibres Afferent fibres

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