| neuropil | A dense intricate feltwork of interwoven fine glial processes, fibrils, synaptic terminals, axons, and dendrites interspersed among the nerve cells in the gray matter of the central nervous system. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| neuropil threads | Abnormal structures located chiefly in distal dendrites and, along with neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques, constitute the three morphological hallmarks of alzheimer disease. Neuropil threads are made up of straight and paired helical filaments which consist of abnormally phosphorylated microtubule-associated tau proteins. It has been suggested that the threads have a major role in the cognitive impairment seen in alzheimer disease. (12 Dec 1998) |
| neuropile | The complex, feltlike net of axonal, dendritic, and glial arborizations that forms the bulk of the central nervous system's gray matter, and in which the nerve cell bodies lie embedded. Origin: neuro-+ G. Pilos, felt (05 Mar 2000) |