Question

Name one glial cell found in each the Peripheral Nervous System and the Central Nervous System.

a) CNS: Oligodendroglia insulate by forming myelin and maintain myelin in neurons.
b) PNS: Schwann Cells form myelin around neurons in the peripheral nervous system.

Answer 1

In the central nervous system (CNS), oligodendrocytes form the myelin sheath around axons, and in the peripheral nervous system (PNS), Schwann cells produce myelin for axons. Oligodendrocytes myelinate multiple axons, whereas each Schwann cell myelinates only a single axon segment.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nervous system is supported and maintained by specialized cells known as glial cells. In the central nervous system (CNS), one of the key glial cells is the oligodendrocyte. Oligodendrocytes form and maintain the myelin sheath, which insulates axons and allows for faster electrical impulses. The function of these cells is crucial, as a single oligodendrocyte provides myelin for multiple axon segments, ensuring efficient nerve signal transmission within the CNS.

In the peripheral nervous system (PNS), the Schwann cell plays a similar role to oligodendrocytes but with a key difference. Schwann cells also produce myelin, forming the myelin sheath around axons, but unlike oligodendrocytes, a single Schwann cell ensheathes only one segment of an axon. This distinction is critical for the regeneration and repair processes that occur in the PNS, which are not as prevalent in the CNS.