NEURONS

(NERVE CELLS)

WHAT IS A NERVOUS SYSTEM?

The nervous system is a complex collection of nerves and specialized cells known as neurons that transmit
signals between different parts of the body.it is essentially the bodys electrical wiring.

WHAT IS A NEURON?
The neuron is the basic working unit of the brain, a specialized cell designed to transmit information to
other nerve cells, muscle, or gland cells.

TYPES OF NEURON CELLS ACCORDING

TO FUNCTION:

SENSORY CELLS
Sensory nerves send messages from parts of the body, such as skin and muscles, back to the spinal cord and
the brain. The information is then processed to let you feel pain and other sensations. Sensory nerves in the skin
help you identify if an object is sharp, rough or smooth, hot or cold, or if a body part is still or in motion.

INTERNEURONS
Interneurons are located entirely within the central nervous system and interconnect other nerve cells. They
act as a link between sensory neurons and motor neurons. An interneuron may receive information from
sensory neurons and pass it along to the brain for processing, or it may process the information itself and
send a signal to a motor neuron to act. For example, touching a hot stove generates sensory nerve signals
to the interneuron. The interneuron processes the information from the sensory neuron itself and sends a
signal to a motor neuron to take action.

MOTOR NEURONS
Motor nerves send impulses or signals from the brain and spinal cord to all of the muscles in the body.
These nerves control muscle contraction allowing movements and activities such as wiggling your fingers,
walking, catching a baseball, or kicking a soccer ball.

TYPES OF NEURON CELLS ACCORDING

TO THE STRUCTURE:

UNIPOLAR NEURONS
Unipolar neurons have only one structure that extends away from the soma.
These neurons are not found in vertebrates, but are found in insects where
they stimulate muscles or glands.

BIPOLAR NEURONS
A bipolar neuron has one axon and one dendrite extending from the soma.
An example of a bipolar neuron is a retinal bipolar cell, which receives
signals fromphotoreceptorcells that are sensitive to light and transmits
these signals to ganglion cells that carry the signal to the brain.

MULTIPOLAR NEURONS
Multipolar neurons are the most common type of neuron. Each multipolar
neuron contains one axon and multiple dendrites. Multipolar neurons can be
found in thecentral nervous system(brain and spinal cord). The Purkinje
cell, a multipolar neuron in the cerebellum, has many branching dendrites,
but only one axon.

PSEUDOUNIPOLAR NEURONS
Pseudounipolar cells share characteristics with both unipolar and bipolar
cells. A pseudounipolar cell has a single structure that extends from the
soma (like a unipolar cell), which later branches into two distinct structures
(like a bipolar cell). Most sensory neurons are pseudounipolar and have an
axon that branches into two extensions: one connected to dendrites that
receives sensory information and another that transmits this information to
the spinal cord.

STRUCTURE OF THE NEURON

PARTS OF THE NEURON CELL

Neurons, like other cells, have a cell body (called the soma). The nucleus of the neuron is found in the
soma. Neurons need to produce a lot of proteins, and most neuronal proteins are synthesized in the soma
as well.

DENDRITES
It is a tree-like structure.
Together with the cell body, the dendrites receive signals from other neurons.

THE AXON HILLOCK AND THE

SYNAPSES
The axon hillock:
it is the cone-shaped base of an axon and it is typically where signals that
travel down the axon are generated.
Near its other end, an axon usually divides into many branches.
Each branched end of an axon transmits information to another cell at a
junction called a synapse

The part of each axon branch that forms this specialized

junction is a synaptic terminal. At most synapses, chemical
messengers called neurotransmitters pass information
from the transmitting neuron to the receiving cell. In describing a synapse,
we refer to the transmitting neuron as the presynaptic cell and the neuron,
muscle, or gland cell that receives the signal as the postsynaptic cell.

AXON

Neuron also has a single axon that transmits signals to other cells.

AXON STRUCTURE
Myelin sheath: is a fat layer that surrounds the axon and increase the
velocity of transmitting the signals through the axon.
Nodes of Ranvier, also known asmyelin sheath gaps, are periodic
gaps in the insulatingmyelin sheathsof axonswhere the axonal
membrane is exposed to the extracellular space. Nodes of Ranvier are
uninsulated and highly enriched inion channels, allowing them to
participate in the exchange of ions required to regenerate theaction
potential.

Astrocytes are star -shaped cells that form supporting network in the brain
and the spinal cord. They attach neurons their body vessels hence regulate
ions and nutrients reach the nerve cells
It also can act as stem cells for producing neurons and other glia cells.
Microglia (cells are small cells that protect the CNS and whose role is to
engulf and destroy microbes like bacteria and cellular debris.
Ependymal
cells line the fluid-filled ventricles of the brain. Some produce
cerebrospinal fluid and others with cilia move the fluid through the CNS.

SITES
1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_l7glsLXC0
2) http://
www.kidport.com/reflib/science/HumanBody/NervousSystem/NerveTypes.
htm
3) https://www.boundless.com/biology/textbooks/boundless-biologytextbook/the-nervous-system-35/neurons-and-glial-cells-199/neurons-75911992/