Neuropil

Neuropil
Latin	neuropilus
Code	TH H2.00.06.2.02005

In neuroanatomy, a neuropil, which is sometimes referred to as a neuropile, is a region between neuronal cell bodies in the gray matter of the brain and blood-brain barrier (i.e. the central nervous system). It consists of a dense tangle of axon terminals, dendrites and glial cell processes. It is where synaptic connections are formed between branches of axons and dendrites.^[1]

White matter, which is mostly composed of axons and glial cells, is generally not considered to be a part of the neuropil.^{[citation needed]}

Etymology

From the Greek: neuro and pilus, meaning felt.^[2]

References

• Neuropil: Roche Encyclopedia of Medicine, Dictionary Barn.

1. ^ Purves, Dale, George J. Augustine, David Fitzpatrick, William C. Hall, Anthony-Samuel LaMantia, James O. McNamara, and Leonard E. White (2008). Neuroscience. 4th ed.. Sinauer Associates. pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-0-87893-697-7. 
2. ^ Freeman, Walter J. How Brains Make up their Minds , 2000, p. 47

External links

• MeSH Neuropil
• Histology at BU 04104loa - "Nervous Tissue and Neuromuscular Junction: spinal cord, cell bodies of anterior horn cells"
• Neuropil - Cell Centered Database
• Histology at OU 3_08