Ependymal cells
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'Ependymal Cells'
The ventricles of the brain and the central canal of the spinal cord are lined with ependymal cells.
The cells are often cilated and form a simple cuboidal or low columnar epithelium.
The lack of tight junctions between ependymal cells allows a free exchange between cerebrospinal fluid and nervous tissue.�
Ependymal cells can specialise into tanycytes, which are rarely ciliated and have long basal processes.
Tanycytes form the ventricular lining over the few CNS regions in which the blood-brain barrier is incomplete.
They do form tight junctions and control the exchange of substances between these regions and surrounding nervous tissue or cerebrospinal fluid.