Microscope | Mitosis
Epithelial Tissue | Connective Tissue | Muscle Tissue | Nervous Tissue
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BIO 201 Home | Saundra Minckley
Nervous Tissue
Nervous tissue is essential for communicating changes in the organism's internal and external environments and stimulating a response to those environmental changes. Neurons (nerve cells) and neuroglia (support cells) are the principle components of neural tissue. The major parts of a neuron are; the dendrites, they will carry information toward the soma (nerve cell body, cyton or perikaryon) and the axons, they carry the information away from the soma. The axons will branch into axon terminals. These terminal ends may stimulate other neurons or terminate in the effector organ/s (muscles &/or glands). Some axons have a protective covering called the myelin shealth. This covering is formed by several neuroglial cells wrapping themselves around the axon. The gaps between the neuroglial cells are called nodes of Ranvier.
Nerves are neural extensions (dendrites and/or axon), that are bundled together and are located outside of the CNS. Nerves are covered with a protective membrane called the epineurium.
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