16.

Neuron (noun, “NUR-on”)

This is one of the main cell types of the nervous system — your brain, spinal cord and nerves. It’s also
frequently called a nerve cell. Neurons help the body detect and respond to information. They do this by
transmitting signals from one place in the body to another.
Every time you touch something, that touch starts an electrical signal in the very tip of a neuron near your
skin. This neuron then carries the information to other neurons in the brain for processing. When you
want to move, for instance, the brain sends electrical signals down neurons to contract the muscles in your
arm or leg. There are around 86 billion neurons in the brain and another billion in the spinal cord. 
The parts of a neuron are specialized to produce, receive and move electrical signals. Usually, a neuron
receives signals on small branches called dendrites. These dendrites stick out from the main body of the
cell. Electrical signals go down a long tail called an axon. At the end of the axon is another set of small
branches, called the axon terminal.
Electrical signals move along the axon as waves of positively and negatively charged ions. These weave
in and out of the cell’s axon, rippling to the terminal. There, the neuron passes the message to another cell
using chemical signals.
Because neurons transmit signals from one body part to another, they can get very long. In fact, a single
neuron from the base of the spinal cord to the big toe can be more than one meter (three feet) long.

What is a neuron?

By Bryn St. Clair, April 22, 2021 at 6:30 am

It’s morning. As you sit up in bed, your feet touch the cold floor, so you lift them and put on your socks.
In the kitchen, you watch the cereal pour from the box and hear it ping against the bowl. You tip in a
stream of milk — carefully — because you spilled it yesterday. All of these experiences are possible
because of cells in your brain, called neurons. These cells are dedicated to sensing information in the
world around you, then helping you respond to it and learn.
This family of cells send messages to each other, day and night. Along the way, they sense information.
They tell other cells what to do. And they remember and respond to what you have learned.
For instance, the smell of burning bread will trigger sensory neurons to send a message to your brain.
This neurotransmission then informs motor neurons in your legs and arm muscles to run to the toaster and
pop up the smoking toast. Next time you use the appliance, you remember to turn down the heat, because
some specialized neurons in your brain have connected to other neurons dedicated to memory.
Sensory and motor neurons are two different classes of neurons. Within these classes are hundreds of
different types, each built differently to do a specific job. How all these neurons connect to each other
changes from one person to another. That’s what makes each of us unique in how we think, feel and act.
What makes these cells special

Neurons have all of the basic features of animal cells. For instance, they have a  nucleus and an outer
membrane. But unlike other cells, they also have branching hair-like structures called dendrites. These
catch chemical messages from other cells. The dendrites send each impulse to the main part of the cell.
It’s known as the cell body. From there, the signal moves along a long thin section of the cell called the
axon. This electrical impulse is made by waves of charged particles weaving in and out of the cell
membrane, rippling the signal along. Some axons have fatty rings of myelin (MY-eh-lin) on them, lined
up like beads on a string. When the neurons are myelinated, the message will bounce along much faster.
The message leaves an axon through finger-like terminals at the end. Chemicals released out of the cell
here will then be picked up by the dendrites on a neighboring cell. The area from one cell’s terminals,
across the gap between cells and on to the next cell’s dendrites is known as a synapse (SIH-napse).
Messages pass between one cell and onto the next by floating across the space between — a gap called
the synaptic cleft. This tiny space between the two cells is filled with fluid. In the next neuron, the
chemical signals enter molecules called receptors like a key into a lock.

Anatomy of a Neuron

“Dendrites branch out from the head (cell body) of a neuron. They receive chemicals which
serve as a message. When one arrives, it moves into the cell body. From there, it travels as an
electrical impulse down the axon to its terminals. Those terminals will release packets of
chemical messengers, passing on the signal to a neighboring neuron’s dendrites.”

Neurons in your brain relay messages across synapses and on through chains and webs of additional cells.
They transmit messages in much the same way that data move from computer to computer through the
internet.
Scientists who study the brain — neuroscientists – work to understand the connections and messaging
between neurons. They use wires and magnets outside or inside the body to measure signals that pass
through nerve cells. This works because the messages are ions, molecules with positive and negative
electrical charges. The fluid inside and between all those neurons is made of these charged chemicals.
Neighboring neurons may not always be close by. In the body, a single nerve cell can extend a pretty long
axon — up to the length of your leg. Your brain and spinal cord, however, are masses of branching
networks of small neurons. They have the support of other cells called glia. Glial cells protect, support,
feed and do cleanup for the neurons. Think of them as the support crew for neurons.
Many cells in your body are replaced daily, such as stomach and skin cells. But neurons live a long time.
In many cases, they are as old as you are. Scientists are still figuring out when and where neurons first
appear as your body develops. They know they form from areas in the body rich with super-powered
cells, called stem cells. After neurons develop, they travel to different positions and start connecting to
form networks.

https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/scientists-say-neuron

https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/explainer-what-is-a-neuron