Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
(9a)
by Martin Eisen, Ph.D.
Introduction
Qigong produces physiological effects on the nervous system. To appreciate and understand these effects, some
background material on the nervous system is required and will be presented below.
More details can be found in the references. Qigongs effects on the nervous system will be discussed in subsequent
articles.
2. Cells of the Nervous System
The nervous system is composed mainly of nerve cells or neurons and glial cells or neurogllia or glia.
Neurons propagate electrical signals by electrochemical means of ion transfer across the cells
membrane. There are about 100 billion neurons in the brain. Glia are more numerous than neurons.
Glial Cells
About 90 percent of the brains cells are glial (meaning glue) cells, which dont carry nerve impulses.
The four main functions of glia are to surround neurons and hold them in place, to supply nutrients
and oxygen neurons, to insulate one neuron from another by manufacturing myelin, to destroy
pathogens and remove dead neurons. They also modulate neurotransmitters. Some types of glial cells
are Schwanns Cells (produce myelin), Satellite Cells, Microglia,Oligodendroglia, and Astroglia. Neuroglia
guide neurons during fetal development.
Sinal motor
neurons,
Carry signals pyramidal
from the CNS to neurons,
Motoneurons the muscles and Purkinje
or Multipolar glands. Many 9 cells
2 axons.
Form all the Go to
Interneurons neural wiring spinal
or within the cord &
Pseudopolar central nervous skin or Dorsal root
(Spelling) system muscle. 80.1 ganglia cells
Table 1. Neuron Types
Synapses
The message or nerve impulse relayed from one neuron to another neuron or cell is by means of the action potential carried by
the neurons axon.The electrical impulse arrives at the axon terminal.There is commonly a very narrow cleft (about 20 nm in
width) between the neurons or the neuron and cell called a (chemical) synapse.Most synapses connect axons to dendrites, but
there are also other types of connections, including axon-to-cell-body, axon-to-axon, and dendrite-to-dendrite.The presynaptic
neuron has small membrane containers, called vesicles, containing chemical compounds known as neurotransmitters.The action
potential causes some vesicles to fuse with the membrane of the presynaptic cell, thereby opening the vesicles and so releasing
their neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft.The neurotransmitters diffuse across the gap and bind to receptor sites on the
neighboring postsynaptic neuron.This results in the opening of nearby ion channels in the postsynaptic cell membrane, causing
ions to rush in or out and changing the local transmembrane potential of the cell and. either depolarization (an excitatory
postsynaptic potential) or hyperpolarization (an inhibitory postsynaptic potential) occurs. A
depolarization makes it more likely that a postsynaptic action potential will be generated. A
hyperpolarization makes it less likely that a postsynaptic action potential will be generated.
Usually an excitatory action potential in the presynaptic neuron will trigger an action potential r in the postsynaptic cell.However,
at a weak synapse, the excitatory postsynaptic potential will not produce an action potential. Some neurons form
synapses with many others and receive synaptic inputs from many others. When action potentials fire simultaneously in several
neurons that weakly synapse on a single cell, they may initiate an impulse in that cell even though the synapses are weak. This
process is known as summation. On the other hand, a presynaptic neuron can release an inhibitory neurotransmitterdecreasing the
postsynaptic neurons excitability and so decreasing its likelihood of firing an action potential. In this way, the output of a neuron
may depend on the input of many others, each of which may have a different degree of influence, depending on the strength of its
synapse with that neuron.Whether a synapse is excitatory or inhibitory is a function of the type of receptors and neurotransmitter
at the synapse.
The action of neurotransmitters is stopped in four different ways. The neurotransmitter does not stay
bound forever: Sooner or later it is shaken loose by random temperature-related vibrations. It can
diffuse away from the synaptic cleft and so no longer act on the receptor. A specific enzyme can change the
structure of the neurotransmitter so it is not recognized by the receptor. Glial cells, namely astrocytes, can remove
neurotransmitters from the synaptic cleft. Finally, they can be taken up by the presynaptic cell and then processed to be released
for a later action potential. This is a common way that the action of norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin
is stopped. The time of these clearing processes ranges from a few tenths of a millisecond for the
fastest, to several seconds for the slowest.
Another type of synapse, called an electrical synapse, is found throughout the nervous system, but is less common than chemical
synapses.The electrical synapse is formed by a narrow gap between the pre- and postsynaptic neurons known as a gap junction.
At a gap junction the cells are about 3.5 nm apart, rather than the 20 to 40 nm that separates cells at chemical synapses.The
postsynaptic potential in electrical synapses is not caused by the opening of ion channels by chemical transmitters, but by direct
electrical coupling between both neurons. Electrical synapses are therefore faster and more reliable than chemical synapses.They
play an important role in reflex action actions for example, withdrawing your hand quickly from a hot stove.The term synapse
alone will be used to denote a chemical synapse.
Types of Neurotransmitters
Some of the properties that define a chemical as a neurotransmitter are difficult to test
experimentally. It is easy using an electron microscope to recognize vesicles on the presynaptic side of
a synapse. However, it may not be easy to determine the contained chemical or all of its properties. In order to determine if a
chemical can be classified as a neurotransmitter, scientists, in the 1960s, proposed the following criteria:
There are precursors and/or synthesis enzymes located in the presynaptic neuron. The chemical is present
in the presynaptic element. It is available in sufficient quantity in the presynaptic neuron to cause a biological effect in the
postsynaptic neuron.When a neuron is stimulated (depolarized), a neuron must release the chemical. There
are postsynaptic receptors and the chemical is able to bind to them. A biochemical mechanism for inactivation
is present. If the chemical is applied on the post-synaptic membrane, it should have the same effect as
when it is released by a neuron.
Not all of the neurotransmitters may actually meet every one of these criteria. Nitric oxide (NO) is not
stored in synaptic vesicles. Rather, NO is released soon after it is produced and diffuses out of the
neuron. NO then enters another cell where it activates enzymes for the production of second
messengers.
Scientific advances have reduced the importance of these rules. Experiments that may have taken
several years in the 1960s can now be done in a few months. It is unusual for the identification of a
chemical as a neurotransmitter to remain controversial for very long.
Some examples of types of neurotransmitters appear in Table 2. The total number of
neurotransmitters is not known, but is likely to be well over 100.
Small Molecules Amino Acids Peptides Gases
growth
Gamma- hormone-
Acetylcholine aminobutyric releasing Nitric Oxide
(ACh) acid (GABA) hormone (NO)
Carbon
Serotonin (5-HT) Aspartate bradykinin Monoxide
Norepinephrine
(NE) secretin
Epinephrine oxytocin
beta-endorphin
enkephalin
substance P
glucagon
insulin
Table 2 Some Types of Neurotransmitters
3. The Nervous System
The nervous system consists of the central nervous system (CNS), the brain and spinal cord, and
the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The PNS is the collection of nervous structures (nerves and ganglions)
that do not lie in the CNS. A ganglion is a mass of nerve tissue containing the cell bodies of neurons.
The PNS has two divisions. The motor (efferent) division consists of motor nerves that carry impulses
from the CNS to effectors (muscles and glands). The sensory (afferent) division consists of somatic
and visceral sensory nerves that conduct impulses from receptors to the CNS.
Motor nerves, depending on their function, belong to two distinct systems: the somatic nervous
system consisting of somatic (voluntary) nerves that conduct impulses from the CNS to skeletal
muscles and the autonomic nervous system (ANS) comprised of visceral motor (involuntary) nerves
that carry impulses from the CNS to smooth muscles, cardiac muscles, and glands.
The ANS regulates the activity of smooth and cardiac muscle and glands. It is composed of the
sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The two subdivisions serve the same organs with
different effects. The sympathetic division is the fight-or-flight subdivision, which prepares the body
to cope with some threat. For example, if frightened, its activation results in increased heart rate and
blood pressure. The parasympathetic division is the rest and digest system, functions with actions
that do not require immediate reaction and is in control most of the time.
The nervous system and its divisions are summarized in Figure 2.
Figure 2 Divisions of the Nervous System
The activities of the two divisions of the ANS cannot always be ascribed to fight or rest situations.
For example, standing up from a reclining or sitting position would result in dizziness or fainting due to
a drop in blood pressure (i.e. orthostatic hypotension), if not for a compensatory increase in the
arterial sympathetic tonus. Another example is the constant modulation of heart rate by sympathetic
and parasympathetic activity. More generally, these two systems should be seen as permanently
modulating vital functions, in usually antagonistic fashion, to achieve homeostasis. Some typical
actions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems are listed in Table 3.
Sympathetic Parasympathetic