"The neuron is the main component of nervous tissue in all animals except sponges and placozoa."
Detailed discussion on the structure and function of neurons, including the different types of neurons and their corresponding functions in the nervous system.
Neuroanatomy: The study of the structure of the nervous system, including the central and peripheral nervous system, neurons, and glial cells.
Neurophysiology: The study of the function of the nervous system, including the action potential, synaptic transmission, and neural signaling.
Neurochemistry: The study of the chemical processes that occur in the nervous system, including the release and uptake of neurotransmitters.
Neuroplasticity: The ability of the nervous system to change its structure and function in response to experience and environmental stimuli.
Neurodevelopment: The process of how the nervous system forms and matures during embryonic and postnatal development.
Sensation and Perception: The process by which the nervous system receives and interprets sensory information from the environment.
Neural circuits: The complex networks of interconnected neurons in the nervous system that process and integrate information.
Motor control: The process by which the nervous system coordinates and regulates movement, including the control of muscles and motor neurons.
Neural disorders: A variety of conditions affecting the nervous system, including neurodegenerative diseases, neuropathies, and psychiatric disorders.
Neuroimaging: Techniques used to visualize and measure the structure and function of the nervous system, including CT scans, MRI, and PET scans.
Neural communication: How neurons communicate with each other using neurotransmitters and electrical signals.
Brain anatomy and function: The study of the structure and function of the brain, including the roles of different brain regions in behavior and cognition.
Neural pathways: The networks of neurons that transmit information throughout the nervous system, including the sensory and motor pathways.
Neurotransmitters: Chemical messengers that transmit signals from one neuron to another, including dopamine, serotonin, and acetylcholine.
Neuropharmacology: The study of how drugs and other substances affect the nervous system, including the use of drugs to treat neurological disorders.
Multipolar Neurons: They are the most common type of neurons found in the human body. They have many dendrites and a single axon.
Bipolar Neurons: They have one dendrite and one axon. They are typically found in sensory organs such as the retina of the eye and the olfactory epithelium in the nose.
Unipolar Neurons: They have a single process that divides into two branches, with one branch acting as a dendrite and the other as an axon. They are found in sensory ganglia.
Anaxonic Neurons: They have multiple dendrites but no true axon. They are found in the brain and retina, but their function is still largely unknown.
Purkinje Cells: They are found in the cerebellum and are characterized by their large size and elaborate dendritic branching.
Pyramidal Cells: They are found in the cerebral cortex and are characterized by their pyramidal shape and long axons.
Stellate Cells: They are also found in the cerebral cortex and are characterized by their star-shaped appearance and short dendrites.
Motor Neurons: They are responsible for controlling muscle movements and are classified as either somatic or autonomic.
Sensory Neurons: They are responsible for detecting external stimuli and transmitting this information to the brain and spinal cord.
Interneurons: They are found in the brain and spinal cord and allow for communication between sensory and motor neurons.
"Neurons communicate with other cells via synapses - specialized connections that commonly use minute amounts of chemical neurotransmitters to pass the electric signal from the presynaptic neuron to the target cell through the synaptic gap."
"Neurons are typically classified into three types based on their function. Sensory neurons respond to stimuli such as touch, sound, or light, Motor neurons receive signals from the brain and spinal cord to control muscle contractions and glandular output, and Interneurons connect neurons to other neurons within the same region of the brain or spinal cord."
"Neurons are special cells which are made up of some structures that are common to all other eukaryotic cells such as the cell body (soma), a nucleus, smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, mitochondria, and other cellular components."
"Additionally, neurons have other unique structures such as dendrites, and a single axon. The soma is a compact structure, and the axon and dendrites are filaments extruding from the soma."
"Dendrites typically branch profusely and extend a few hundred micrometers from the soma. The axon leaves the soma at a swelling called the axon hillock and travels for as far as 1 meter in humans or more in other species."
"At the farthest tip of the axon's branches are axon terminals, where the neuron can transmit a signal across the synapse to another cell."
"Neurons may lack dendrites or have no axon. The term neurite is used to describe either a dendrite or an axon, particularly when the cell is undifferentiated."
"At the majority of synapses, signals cross from the axon of one neuron to a dendrite of another. However, synapses can connect an axon to another axon or a dendrite to another dendrite."
"If the voltage changes by a large enough amount over a short interval, the neuron generates an all-or-nothing electrochemical pulse called an action potential."
"Synaptic signals may be excitatory or inhibitory, increasing or reducing the net voltage that reaches the soma."
"In most cases, neurons are generated by neural stem cells during brain development and childhood."
"Neurogenesis largely ceases during adulthood in most areas of the brain."
"The axon leaves the soma at a swelling called the axon hillock."
"Sensory neurons respond to stimuli such as touch, sound, or light that affect the cells of the sensory organs, and they send signals to the spinal cord or brain."
"Motor neurons receive signals from the brain and spinal cord to control everything from muscle contractions to glandular output."
"Interneurons connect neurons to other neurons within the same region of the brain or spinal cord."
"However, synapses can connect an axon to another axon or a dendrite to another dendrite."
"Non-animals like plants and fungi do not have nerve cells."
"Neurons communicate with other cells via synapses - specialized connections that commonly use minute amounts of chemical neurotransmitters to pass the electric signal from the presynaptic neuron to the target cell through the synaptic gap."