Explain the structure of a neuron
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A typical neuron has all the parts that any cell would have, and a few specialized structures that set it apart. The main portion of the cell is called the soma or cell body. It contains the nucleus, which in turn contains the genetic material in the form of chromosomes.
Neurons have a large number of extensions called dendrites. They often look likes branches or spikes extending out from the cell body. It is primarily the surfaces of the dendrites that receive chemical messages from other neurons.
One extension is different from all the others, and is called the axon. Although in some neurons, it is hard to distinguish from the dendrites, in others it is easily distinguished by its length. The purpose of the axon is to transmit an electro-chemical signal to other neurons, sometimes over a considerable distance. In the neurons that make up the nerves running from the spinal cord to your toes, the axons can be as long as three feet!
Longer axons are usually covered with a myelin sheath, a series of fatty cells which have wrapped around an axon many times. These make the axon look like a necklace of sausage-shaped beads. They serve a similar function as the insulation around electrical wire.
At the very end of the axon is the axon ending, which goes by a variety of names such as the bouton, the synaptic knob, the axon foot, and so on (I do not know why no one has settled on a consistent term!). It is there that the electro-chemical signal that has travelled the length of the axon is converted into a chemical message that travels to the next neuron.
Neurons have a large number of extensions called dendrites. They often look likes branches or spikes extending out from the cell body. It is primarily the surfaces of the dendrites that receive chemical messages from other neurons.
One extension is different from all the others, and is called the axon. Although in some neurons, it is hard to distinguish from the dendrites, in others it is easily distinguished by its length. The purpose of the axon is to transmit an electro-chemical signal to other neurons, sometimes over a considerable distance. In the neurons that make up the nerves running from the spinal cord to your toes, the axons can be as long as three feet!
Longer axons are usually covered with a myelin sheath, a series of fatty cells which have wrapped around an axon many times. These make the axon look like a necklace of sausage-shaped beads. They serve a similar function as the insulation around electrical wire.
At the very end of the axon is the axon ending, which goes by a variety of names such as the bouton, the synaptic knob, the axon foot, and so on (I do not know why no one has settled on a consistent term!). It is there that the electro-chemical signal that has travelled the length of the axon is converted into a chemical message that travels to the next neuron.
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