GENERAL HISTOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Functions include: clean up brain “debris"; transport nutrients to neurons; hold neurons in place; digest parts of dead neurons; regulate content of extracellular space; promote synaptic connections; clear excess neurotransmitters; ensure the continued function of neurons.

Detailed explanation-2: -Glia guide developing neurons to their destinations, buffer ions and chemicals that would otherwise harm neurons, and provide myelin sheaths around axons. Scientists have recently discovered that they also play a role in responding to nerve activity and modulating communication between nerve cells.

Detailed explanation-3: -Glial (Neuroglial) cells do not conduct nerve impulses, but, instead, support, nourish, and protect the neurons. Glial cells are far more numerous than neurons and, unlike neurons, are capable of mitosis.

Detailed explanation-4: -Oligodendrocytes. Oligodendrocytes provide support to axons of neurons in the central nervous system, particularly those that travel long distances within the brain. They produce a fatty substance called myelin, which is wrapped around axons as a layer of insulation.

Detailed explanation-5: -Much like the insulation around the wires in electrical systems, glial cells form a membraneous sheath surrounding axons called myelin, thereby insulating the axon. This myelination, as it is called, can greatly increase the speed of signals transmitted between neurons (known as action potentials).