Function and Structure of Neuron

A neuron is a nerve cell in the body

basic building block of the nervous system specialized to transmit information throughout the body. that is specialized to carry messages. The process by which a neuron carries messages from one part of the brain to another is through what is called an

There are about 100 billion neurons in the human brain. These neurons have many shapes and come in many sizes.
Their job is to allow you to think and behave. are responsible for communicating information in both chemical and electrical forms.

Neurons are like other body cells

they have a cell membrane a nucleus that contains DNA some working parts of the cell known as organelles, they carry on protein synthesis and energy production.

Neurons are different from other body cells:

they have an irregular shape they have specialized extensions called dendrites and axons they communicate with each other through the electrochemical process they have some other specialized structures (such as the synapse) They use chemicals for communication called neurotransmitters.

Sensory neurons carry information from the sensory receptor cells throughout the body to the brain. (Afferent Neuron)
Motor neurons transmit information from the brain to the muscles of the body. (Efferent Neuron) Interneuron are responsible for communicating information between different neurons in the body.

What a real neuron looks like

Drawing of a neuron

treelike extensions at the beginning of a neuron increase the surface area of the cell body
These tiny protrusions receive information from other neurons and transmit electrical stimulation to the soma.

Dendrite Characteristics

Most neurons have many dendrites Short and highly branched

Transmits information to the cell body

The soma is where the signals from the dendrites are joined and passed on. The soma and the nucleus do not play an active role in the transmission of the neural signal. Instead, these two structures serve to maintain the cell and keep the neuron functional. It include mitochondria, which provide energy for the cell, the Golgi apparatus, which packages products created by the cell and secretes them outside the cell wall.

It is located at the end of the soma

controls the firing of the neuron. If the total strength of the signal exceeds the threshold limit of the axon hillock, the structure will fire a signal (known as an action potential) down the axon.

It is the elongated fiber that extends from the cell body to the terminal endings transmits the neural signal The larger the axon, the faster it transmits information. Some axons are covered with a fatty substance called myelin that acts as an insulator. These myelinated axons transmit information much faster than other neurons.

Axon Characteristics
Most neurons have only one axon Transmit information away from the cell body

May or may not have a myelin covering

The terminal buttons are located at the end of the neuron responsible for sending the signal on to other neurons.