Ependyma
Section of central canal of medulla spinalis, showing ependymal and neuroglial cells.
Gray's	subject #189 829
MeSH	Ependyma

Ependyma is the thin epithelial membrane lining the ventricular system of the brain and the spinal cord. Ependyma is one of the four types of neuroglia in the central nervous system. It is involved in the production of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Contents 1 Ependymal Cells 2 Pathology 3 Stem cells 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Ependymal Cells

The ependyma is made up of ependymal cells. These are the epithelial cells that line the CSF-filled ventricles in the brain and the central canal of the spinal cord. The cells are cuboidal/columnar. Their apical surfaces are covered in a layer of cilia, which circulate CSF around the central nervous system. Their apical surfaces are also covered with microvilli, which absorb CSF. Ependymal cells are a type of Glial cell and are also CSF producing cells. Within the brain's ventricles, a population of modified ependymal cells and capillaries together form a system called the choroid plexus, which produces the CSF.

Tight junctions, zonae occludentes, between ependymal cells control fluid release across the epithelium. This release allows free exchange between CSF and nervous tissue of brain and spinal cord. This is why sampling of CSF (e.g. through a "spinal tap") gives one window to CNS.

[edit] Pathology

Ependymoma is a tumor of the ependymal cells.

[edit] Stem cells

Jonas Frisén and his colleagues at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm believe that ependyma is the prime candidate for the location of neural stem cells.^[1] One study observed that ependymal cells from the lining of the lateral ventricle might be a source for cells which can be transplanted into the cochlea to reverse hearing loss.^[2]

[edit] References

1. ^ Johansson CB, Momma S, Clarke DL, Risling M, Lendahl U, Frisen J (1999). "Identification of a neural stem cell in the adult mammalian central nervous system". Cell 96 (1): 25–34. doi:10.1016/S0092-8674(00)80956-3. PMID 9989494. 
2. ^ "Brain cell hope for hearing loss". BBC News. 2008-12-09. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7770665.stm. Retrieved 2008-12-09. 

[edit] External links

• Illustrations at ucsf.edu
• Atlas at

This neuroanatomy article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e

v • d • e Human brain: forebrain (cerebrum · cerebral cortex · cerebral hemispheres, grey matter) (TA A14.1.09.002-240, 301-320, GA 9.818-826) Frontal lobe Superolateral Prefrontal Superior frontal gyrus (4l, 6l, 8l) · Middle frontal gyrus (9l, 10l, 46) Inferior frontal gyrus: 11l · 47-Pars orbitalis · Broca's area (44-Pars opercularis, 45-Pars triangularis) Superior frontal sulcus · Inferior frontal sulcus Precentral Precentral gyrus · Precentral sulcus Medial/inferior Prefrontal Superior frontal gyrus (4m, 6m) · Medial frontal gyrus (8m, 9m) Paraterminal gyrus/Paraolfactory area (12) · Straight gyrus (11m) · Orbital gyri/Orbitofrontal cortex (10m, 11m, 12) · Ventromedial prefrontal cortex (10m) · Subcallosal area (25) Olfactory sulcus · Orbital sulci Precentral Paracentral lobule (4) · Paracentral sulcus Both Primary motor cortex (4) · Premotor cortex (6) · Supplementary motor area (6) · Frontal eye fields (8) Parietal lobe Superolateral Superior parietal lobule (5l, 7l) · Inferior parietal lobule (40-Supramarginal gyrus, 39-Angular gyrus) · Parietal operculum (43) Intraparietal sulcus Medial/inferior Paracentral lobule (1m, 2m, 3m, 5m) · Precuneus (7m) Marginal sulcus Both Postcentral gyrus/primary somatosensory cortex (1 · 2 · 3) · Secondary somatosensory cortex (5) · Posterior parietal cortex (7) Occipital lobe Superolateral Occipital pole of cerebrum · Lateral occipital gyrus (18, 19) · Lunate sulcus · Transverse occipital sulcus Medial/inferior Primary visual cortex (17) · Cuneus · Lingual gyrus Calcarine fissure Temporal lobe Superolateral Transverse temporal gyrus/Primary auditory cortex (41, 42) · Superior temporal gyrus (38, 22/Wernicke's area) · Middle temporal gyrus (21) · Inferior temporal gyrus (20) Superior temporal sulcus · Inferior temporal sulcus Medial/inferior Fusiform gyrus (37) Medial temporal lobe ((27 · 28 · 34 · 35 · 36)) Inferior temporal sulcus Interlobar sulci/fissures Superolateral Central (frontal+parietal) · Lateral (frontal+parietal+temporal) · Parieto-occipital · Preoccipital notch Medial/inferior Medial longitudinal · Cingulate (frontal+cingulate) · Collateral (temporal+occipital) · Callosal sulcus Limbic lobe Parahippocampal gyrus anterior (Entorhinal cortex, Perirhinal cortex) · Posterior parahippocampal gyrus · Prepyriform area Cingulate cortex/gyrus Subgenual area (25) · Anterior cingulate (24, 32, 33) · Posterior cingulate (23, 31) Isthmus of cingulate gyrus: Retrosplenial cortex (26, 29, 30) Hippocampal formation Hippocampal sulcus · Fimbria of hippocampus · Dentate gyrus Other Supracallosal gyrus · Uncus Insular lobe Long gyrus of insula · Short gyri of insula · Circular sulcus of insula General Operculum · Poles of cerebral hemispheres Some categorizations are approximations, and some Brodmann areas span gyri.

v • d • e Histology: nervous tissue (TA A14.2.00, GA 9.849) Neurons (grey matter) Parts soma axon (axon hillock, axon terminals, axoplasm, axolemma, neurofibril/neurofilament) dendrite (Nissl body, dendritic spine, apical dendrite, basal dendrite) Types bipolar · pseudounipolar · multipolar · pyramidal · Purkinje · granule Afferent nerve fiber/ Sensory nerve GSA · GVA · SSA · SVA fibers (Ia, Ib or Golgi, II or Aβ, III or Aδ or fast pain, IV or C or slow pain) Efferent nerve fiber/ Motor nerve GSE · GVE · SVE Upper motor neuron · Lower motor neuron (α motorneuron, γ motorneuron) Termination Synapses neuropil · synaptic vesicle Interneuron (Renshaw) · neuromuscular junction · electrical synapse Sensory receptors Meissner's corpuscle · Merkel nerve ending · Pacinian corpuscle · Ruffini ending · Muscle spindle · Free nerve ending · Olfactory receptor neuron · Photoreceptor cell · Hair cell · Taste bud Support Glial cells Astrocyte (Radial glia) · Oligodendrocyte · Ependymal cells (Tanycytes) · Microglia Myelination (white matter) CNS: Oligodendrocyte PNS: Schwann cell · Neurolemma · Nodes of Ranvier/Internode · Schmidt-Lanterman incisures Related connective tissues epineurium · perineurium · endoneurium · nerve fascicle · meninges Other Posterior (Root, Ganglion, Ramus) · Anterior (Root, Ramus) · rami communicantes (Gray, White) · Preganglionic fibers · Postganglionic fibers · Lemniscus · Funiculus · Fasciculus · Decussation · Commissure Projection fibers · Association fiber · Commissural fiber peripheral nervous system navs: anat/histo/physio/dev, noncongen PNS somatic/autonomic/congen/neoplasia, symptoms+signs/eponymous, proc