A neuron is what kind of cell

Scientists would consider where the neuron projects to, what it connects with and what input it receives. In the spinal cord, it is pretty simple. But part of what gives the brain its complexity is the huge number of specialised neuron types.

Researchers are still trying to agree on what these are, and how they should be classified. QBI newsletters Subscribe. Help QBI research Give now.

Skip to menu Skip to content Skip to footer. Site search Search. Site search Search Menu. Types of neurons. Home The Brain Brain anatomy. Not all neurons are successful in their journey. Scientists think that only a third reach their destination. Some cells die during the process of neuronal development.

Mutations in the genes that control migration create areas of misplaced or oddly formed neurons that can cause disorders such as childhood epilepsy. Some researchers suspect that schizophrenia and the learning disorder dyslexia are partly the result of misguided neurons. Once a neuron reaches its destination, it has to settle in to work. This final step of differentiation is the least well-understood part of neurogenesis. Neurons are responsible for the transport and uptake of neurotransmitters - chemicals that relay information between brain cells.

Depending on its location, a neuron can perform the job of a sensory neuron, a motor neuron, or an interneuron, sending and receiving specific neurotransmitters. In the developing brain, a neuron depends on molecular signals from other cells, such as astrocytes, to determine its shape and location, the kind of transmitter it produces, and to which other neurons it will connect. These freshly born cells establish neural circuits - or information pathways connecting neuron to neuron - that will be in place throughout adulthood.

But in the adult brain, neural circuits are already developed and neurons must find a way to fit in. As a new neuron settles in, it starts to look like surrounding cells. It develops an axon and dendrites and begins to communicate with its neighbors.

Although neurons are the longest living cells in the body, large numbers of them die during migration and differentiation. The lives of some neurons can take abnormal turns. Some diseases of the brain are the result of the unnatural deaths of neurons. This causes difficulty initiating movement. Action potential — Brief electrical event typically generated in the axon that signals the neuron as 'active'.

An action potential travels the length of the axon and causes release of neurotransmitter into the synapse. The action potential and consequent transmitter release allow the neuron to communicate with other neurons.

Help QBI research Give now. QBI newsletters Subscribe. Skip to menu Skip to content Skip to footer. Site search Search. Site search Search Menu. What is a neuron? With ribosomes, the ER is important for protein synthesis. Golgi Apparatus - membrane-bound structure important in packaging peptides and proteins including neurotransmitters into vesicles. Mitochondria - produce energy to fuel cellular activities. Happy st Birthday to the Golgi apparatus! In , the famous neuroanatomist Camillo Golgi reported his discovery of a ribbon-like apparatus inside neurons of the cerebellum.

This structure now bears his name as the "Golgi apparatus. Color a neuron or several neurons online! Try the Neuron Review Test. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Answers to the Neuron Review Test. Build a Neuron - you must have the Shockwave plug-in for your browser. Get the Shockwave plug-in. Chudler All Rights Reserved. Take information away from the cell body Smooth Surface Generally only 1 axon per cell No ribosomes Can have myelin Branch further from the cell body.

Bring information to the cell body Rough Surface dendritic spines Usually many dendrites per cell Have ribosomes No myelin insulation Branch near the cell body.