= Nervous tissue
= Neural tissue
{synonym}
<Nervous tissue>, also called <neural tissue>, is the organized <tissue (biology)>[tissue] of the <nervous system>, containing <neurons> and <glial cells>. <Neurons> specialize in communication, including <action potentials> and signaling between cells. <Glial cells> maintain the local environment, form insulating <myelin> in particular locations, and perform other active functions. The <brain>, <spinal cord> and peripheral nerves contain different arrangements of these components; a drawing of one isolated <neuron> is not a complete picture of <nervous tissue>.<Anatomy and Physiology 2e by J. Gordon Betts and others>[Section12.2, Nervous Tissue: neurons, glial cells and their organization]{ref}
A useful example is the <median eminence>, where hormone-releasing <axon> endings interact with <tanycytes> and blood-vessel <endothelium>. In a 2004 experiment, investigators compared female-rat tissue explants after 30 minutes with or without 500 micromolar <arginine>, a precursor for <nitric oxide> production. <Electron microscopy> showed identified <gonadotropin-releasing hormone> terminals close to the vascular boundary after treatment, with fewer intervening <tanycyte> processes than in controls.<Vascular endothelial cells promote acute plasticity in ependymoglial cells of the neuroendocrine brain by Sandrine De Seranno and others>[Figure7 and Results: treated versus untreated hypothalamic explants]{ref}
The observation makes <tissue (biology)>[tissue] organization experimentally meaningful: changes in the position of a <glial cell> process can alter a <neuron>'s access to a vascular interface. This specialized arrangement should not be mistaken for the structure of every <synapse> or every region of <nervous tissue>.
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