Neurons (also known as neurones, nerve cells and nerve fibers) are electrically excitable cells in the nervous system that function to process and transmit information..
Cellular neuroscience is the study of neurons at a cellular level including morphology and physiological properties.
The scientific study of the biological mechanisms that underlie the disorders and diseases of the nervous system.
Cognitive neuroscience is the study of the biological mechanisms underlying cognition..
The distinguishing characteristic of nerve cells is their specialization for intercellular communication.
This attribute is apparent in their overall morphology, in the specialization of their membranes for electrical signaling, and in the structural and functional intricacies of the synaptic contacts between them..
Within a nervous system, a neuron, neurone, or nerve cell is an electrically excitable cell that fires electric signals called action potentials across a neural network..
A neuron has three main parts: dendrites, an axon, and a cell body or soma (see image below), which can be represented as the branches, roots and trunk of a tree, respectively.
A dendrite (tree branch) is where a neuron receives input from other cells..
Individual neurons connect to other neurons to stimulate or inhibit their activity, forming circuits that can process incoming information and carry out a response.
Neuronal circuits can be very simple, and composed of only a few neurons, or they can involve more complex neuronal networks.
These are to:
Neurons are composed of three main parts:
The first two neuronal functions, receiving and processing incoming information, generally take place in the dendrites and cell body.
Incoming signals can be either excitatory – which means they tend to make the neuron fire (generate an electrical impulse) – or inhibitory – which means that they tend to keep the neuron from firing.
