Collagen in the Nervous System

The nervous system is the most highly developed of the organ systems. It comprises the body’s control center (the central nervous system) and the communication network (the peripheral nervous system). Nervous tissue is made up of nerve cells, the neurons, which are the structural units of the system. Neurons are highly differentiated cells, consisting of a body and several protoplasmic extensions by which neurons relate to one another and to other structures. The network of neurons and their extensions is surrounded by supportive, protective, and nutritive cells. Until the past decade, interest in the role of collagen in the nervous system was minimal, as it is almost absent in the brain and spinal cord.