Question

what is the function of neuron

Answer 1

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1. Conduction of Nerve Impulses:

Neurons conduct signals or impulses from one part of the body to another. Under normal circumstances each impulse begins at the dendrites (occasionally at the cell body) and spreads across the cell to the axonal endings. Experimentally, an impulse can be initiated anywhere on the cell surface and can be elicited by ap­plying a variety of stimuli including electrical shock, pressure (pinching), heat, cold, and pH changes.

2. Ion Gradients across the Membrane:

The resting potential of the nerve cell membrane stems from an unequal distribution of ions between the axoplasm and the extracellular fluid. The fluid bathing the membrane’s surface contains Na+, Cl–, and HCO3– in higher concentrations than the axo­plasm, whereas the axoplasm contains higher concentrations of K+ and organic anions than the extracellu­lar fluid. In addition to concentration differences across the membrane for individual ionic species, there is also a relatively higher concentration of nega­tive ions inside the cell than outside. As a result, the outside surface of the axolemma is positive rela­tive to the inside surface.

3. Initiation of the Action Potential:

Much of what we know today about the molecular ba­sis of impulse conduction by nerve cells is based on the pioneering studies of A. Hodgkin, A. Huxley, and J. Eccles, who received the Nobel Prize in 1963 for their work. According to the presently accepted model, ap­plication of a stimulus to the neuron is followed by the rapid diffusion of Na+ across the axolemma from the exterior into the axoplasm. The unusually rapid in­ward diffusion of Na + is apparently due to a transient increase in the size of the pores or “gates” in the plasma membrane permeable to Na+. The inward rush of Na+ reverses the electrical potential across the membrane.

4. Conduction of the Action Potential:

Once the polarity at a given point on the nerve cell membrane has been reversed, current flows between this and the adjacent regions of the membrane. The flow of current to the neighboring region serves to open the Na+ gates there, reversing the polarity in that region. The cycle is repeated as the action poten­tial travels further and further along the nerve cell membrane.

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Answer 2

Neuron. Neurons (also known as neurones, nerve cells and nerve fibers) are electrically excitable cells in thenervous system that function to process and transmit information. In vertebrate animals, neurons are the core components of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves.