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ShareNeurons (also known as neurones, nerve cells and nerve fibers) are electrically excitable cells in the nervous system that function to process and transmit information.
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In vertebrate animals, neurons are the core components of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. Neurons are typically composed of a soma, or cell body, a dendritic tree and an axon.
The majority of vertebrate neurons receive input on the cell body and dendritic tree, and transmit output via the axon, although there is great heterogeneity throughout the nervous system, as well as throughout the animal kingdom, in the size, shape and function of neurons.
For invertebrate neurons, the information flow is less well defined.
Neurons communicate via chemical and electrical synapses, in a process known as synaptic transmission.
The fundamental process underlying synaptic transmission is the action potential, a propagating electrical signal that is generated by exploiting the electrically excitable membrane of the neuron.
Neurons are highly specialized for the fast processing and transmission of cellular signals.
For more information about the topic Neuron, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:
Axon — An axon, or nerve fiber, is a long slender projection of a nerve cell, or neuron, that conducts electrical impulses away from the neuron's cell body ... > read more
Myelin — Myelin is an electrically insulating phospholipid layer that surrounds the axons of many neurons. It is an outgrowth of glial cells: Schwann cells ... > read more
Neurobiology — Neurobiology is the study of cells of the nervous system and the organization of these cells into functional circuits that process information and ... > read more
Neural development — The study of neural development draws on both neuroscience and developmental biology to describe the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which ... > read more
Chemical synapse — Chemical synapses are specialized junctions through which cells of the nervous system signal to one another and to non-neuronal cells such as muscles ... > read more
Spinal cord — The spinal cord is a part of the vertebrate nervous system that is enclosed in and protected by the vertebral column (it passes through the spinal ... > read more
Nervous system — The nervous system of an animal coordinates the activity of the muscles, monitors the organs, constructs and also stops input from the senses, and ... > read moreEditor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
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