NERVOUS TISSUE:
GENERAL FEATURES & FUNCTIONS

The Nervous tissue will be studied in more detail later on.

The nervous system accomplishes three functions that enable it to regulate and control the body functions:

1. it constantly monitors changes occurring both inside and outside of the body;
2. it processes and interprets information and makes decisions about what should be done at each moment
3. it carries the order of what should be done to muscles and glands.

What are the histological characteristics of the NERVOUS TISSUE?

1. It is made of many cells packed closely together (there is little extracellular material between cells);
2. Most of the cells are strongly branching
   
   
3. There are two main groups of cells:
   1. - the NEURONS - they respond to stimuli - they conduct electrical impulses to and from all body organs and from one area of the Central nervous System to another - they are made of a cell body (containing the nuclei and most of the organelles) and of cytoplasmic ramifications: the dendrites that receive stimuli and the axon that generates nerve impulses and transmit them from one part of the body to another.
   2. - the GLIAL CELLS - (neurons' "little maids") which support, protect and bind neurons.
   
   

   Where do you find NERVOUS TISSUE?:

   1. the brain
   2. the spinal cord
   3. the nerves and their associated ganglia.

   We will study the nervous tissue in more detail in the tutorial on the "NERVOUS SYSTEM". For now, I just want you to be able to identify it when you see it and to give me its possible locations in the body.