Week 4

• Neuroglial cell types in the central nervous system

  • Astrocytes
  • Ependymal Cells
  • Oligodendrocytes
  • Microglia
• Astrocytes


  • Maintain blood-brain barrier, control neurotransmitter levels, regulate ions, provide metabolic support
• Ependymal Cells


  • Line spinal cord and ventricles, involved in producing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
• Oligodendrocytes


  • Myelinate CNS axons, provide structural framework
• Microglia


  • Brain's immune cells, remove dead cells and pathogens by phagocytosis
• Neuroglial cell types in the peripheral nervous system

  • Satellite Cells
  • Schwann Cells
• Satellite Cells


  • Surrounded neuron cell bodies in ganglia, regulate neurotransmitter levels
• Schwann Cells


  • Myelinate neurons in PNS, maintain and regenerate neurons after injury
• Types of Glial Cells

  • Oligodendrocyte
  • Astrocyte
  • Microglia
  • Radial Glia
• Oligodendrocyte


  A type of glial cell that produces myelin, critical role in enabling axons to faithfully and rapidly transmit electrical signals
• Astrocyte


  Large, star-shaped cells that perform several functions including forming the blood-brain barrier
• Microglia


  Very small cells found throughout the brain, become activated to help with repair processes and act as scavengers
• Radial Glia


  Guide the migration of neurons and their axons and dendrites during embryonic development
• Most promising new treatments and technologies for addressing nervous system disorders

  • Gene therapies
  • Neural interfaces
  • Deep brain stimulation (DBS)
  • Immunotherapies
  • Neuropharmacology
• Gene therapies


  • Modify or replace faulty genes to treat underlying causes of disorders, shown promise in clinical trials
• Neural interfaces


  • Allow direct communication between brain and external devices, can restore movement and address conditions like epilepsy and Parkinson's
• Deep brain stimulation (DBS)


  • Surgical procedure implanting electrodes in brain to deliver electrical impulses, shown promise in treating Parkinson's, dystonia, OCD
• Immunotherapies


  • Modulate immune system to target and treat underlying causes of disorders like MS, Alzheimer's, autoimmune encephalitis
• Neuropharmacology


  • Develop new drugs to treat nervous system disorders like migraine, epilepsy, neuropathic pain
• Challenges in addressing nervous system disorders

  • Safety and efficacy
  • Access and affordability
  • Ethical considerations
  • Long-term outcomes
  • Individual variability
• Safety and efficacy


  • Ensuring new treatments and technologies are safe and effective, rigorous testing and regulatory approval needed
• Access and affordability


  • Ensuring new treatments and technologies are accessible and affordable for all who can benefit
• Ethical considerations


  • Addressing complex ethical questions related to consent, privacy, equity in implementing new treatments and technologies
• Long-term outcomes


  • Continued research and monitoring needed to assess long-term safety and efficacy of new treatments and technologies
• Individual variability


  • Developing treatments effective for everyone is challenging due to variability in nervous system disorders
• Specialized areas of the brain

  • Cortex
  • Brain stem
  • Basal ganglia
  • Cerebellum
• Cortex


  • Outermost layer of brain cells, thinking and voluntary movements begin here
• Brain stem


  • Between spinal cord and rest of brain, controls basic functions like breathing and sleep
• Basal ganglia


  • Cluster of structures in center of brain, coordinate messages between multiple other brain areas
• Cerebellum


  • At base and back of brain, responsible for coordination and balance
• Divisions of the brain

  • Hindbrain
  • Midbrain
  • Forebrain
• Hindbrain


  • Consists of medulla, pons, and cerebellum, contains reticular formation to control arousal
• Midbrain


  • Contains reticular formation, periaqueductal gray, red nucleus, superior and inferior colliculi, substantia nigra
• Forebrain


  • Divided into diencephalon (thalamus, hypothalamus) and telencephalon (cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, limbic system)
• Lobes of the brain

  • Frontal Lobe
  • Parietal Lobe
  • Temporal Lobe
  • Occipital Lobe
• Frontal Lobe


  • Responsible for problem-solving, judgment, and motor function
• Parietal Lobe


  • Manage sensation, handwriting, and body position
• Temporal Lobe


  • Involved with memory and hearing
• Occipital Lobe


  • Contains the brain's visual processing system
• Synapse


  The small pocket of space between two cells where they can pass messages to communicate