The Neuropil

Based on your blog yesterday, what in the world is the neuropil?

The neuropil is the name for the dense felt-like mass of interwoven cytoplasmic processes in which the nerve cell bodies are embedded in the central nervous system and some parts of the peripheral nervous system. The neuropil also includes the neuroglial cells (the supporting helper cells that take care of the neurons) As you may recall, neurons each have a cell body (compare this to the palm of your hand); thousands of dendrites (think of them as the fingers on your hand multiplied hundreds of times over; and usually one axon (think of this as your thumb) by which information leaves the neuron. The information is then carried across the synapse (space between the neurons) and picked up by the dendrites on another neuron. The neuropil forms the bulk of the gray matter in the central nervous system or CNS. The CNS encompasses the brain and the spinal cord.