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Types of Glial Cells
Multipolar neurons are the most common type of neuron in humans. There is usually one axon
and at least two dendrites. There is a subtype seen in the CNS called the “anaxonic neuron”
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that has no obvious axon. The cell still has projections but any of the projections can act as an
axon at any given point in time. There are other classifications of neurons that depend on
where the nerve cell is located in the body but these are less commonly seen.
TYPES OF GLIAL CELLS
Glial cells are the type of cell found in the nerve tissue that act as supporting cells to the
neurons. They are also referred to as neuroglial cells or “neuroglia.” There are six types of
neuroglia (which were described in Chapter 2). Figure 61 shows what the different neuroglial
cells look like:
Four of these cell types are seen in the CNS and two are seen in the PNS. A brief review of these
cells is included here:
• Astrocyte—a supportive cell
• Oligodendrocyte—a cell for insulation and myelination
• Microglia—cells for phagocytosis and immune surveillance
