Neuron

Neuron

Neuroscience

The study of the body’s nervous systems.

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Consists of the brain and the spinal cord.

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Comprises everything else outside the CNS.

Neuron Doctrine

The principle that the neuron is the basic functional unit of the brain.

Glia

Support cells that insulate, nourish, and regulate neurons; not electrically excitable.

Soma

The cell body of a neuron, containing cytosol, organelles, and cytoplasm.

Dendrites

Extensions of the neuron that receive and transmit signals from other neurons.

Axon

The part of a neuron responsible for relaying information to other neurons.

Action Potentials

Electrical signals that neurons can fire.

Synapse

The point of communication between two neurons.

Afferent Axons

Axons that carry information toward a particular point.

Efferent Axons

Axons that carry information away from a specific point.

Chemical Synapse

A synapse that communicates using neurotransmitters.

Electrical Synapse

A synapse that transmits information using electrical signals.

Mitochondrion

Organelle responsible for generating energy and site of cellular respiration.

Cytoskeleton

An internal scaffolding of the neuronal membrane, composed of microtubules, microfilaments, and neurofilaments.

Neurite

An extension of a neuron, either dendrite or axon.

Stellate Cells

Star-shaped neurons.

Pyramidal Cells

Pyramid-shaped neurons.

Neuronal DNA

Genetic material in the nucleus that is transcribed into RNA for protein synthesis.

Synaptic Vesicles

Structures in axon terminals that store neurotransmitters.