Figure - PMC

Skip to main content

An official website of the United States government

Here's how you know

Here's how you know

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

View full-text article in PMC

. 2018 Dec 4;2:2398212818817495. doi: 10.1177/2398212818817495

Search in PMC
Search in PubMed
View in NLM Catalog
Add to search

© The Author(s) 2018

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

PMC Copyright notice

Figure 1. — Neuroglial diversity. Neuroglia are sub-classified into CNS and PNS glia, but overall their functions are the same – to provide homeostatic, structural and metabolic support of neurons, to meylinate their axons to ensure rapid signal transmission and to be the main defensive and immunocompetent cells. In the CNS, the main glial cell types are astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and microglia. In the PNS, the main neuroglia are Schwann cells, satellite glial cells within the ganglia and enteric glia, which support neurons within the enteric nervous system of the gastrointestinal tract. The interface between the CNS and the PNS marks a change from an environment of astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and microglia, to one of Schwann cells and satellite glia; there is no change in the axon as it passes from one domain to the other, and PNS and CNS neurons are fundamentally the same. In the broadest sense, CNS and PNS neuroglia are essential for normal bodily function.