Central Nervous System

Higher power magnification of the optic nerve at the level of the central artery where the nerve is composed of axonic bundles. Note the typical appearance of an artery with endothelial cells and a layer of smooth muscle. A layer of connective tissue surrounds the artery and radiates trabeculae between the bundles of the myelinated axons. The small dark cells among the nerve fibers are oligodendrocytes. UCLA Histology Collection