|
|
Article: Neuron
- Article from:
- Animal Sciences
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Neuron
Neurons are highly specialized cells in both form and function. They contain the same suite of
organelles
as other cells, including the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum,
mitochondria
, and
bilipid membrane
. Unlike many cells, however, neurons are polar cells, meaning that one side of the cell has a different form and function than the other side of the cell. The
dendrites
are located at one extremity, and the
axon
is at the other end. Dendrites are an extension of the neuronal membrane. This extension stretches out from the cell body like a tree with many branches. Each "twig" of the dendritic tree is in contact with another neuron, and the function of the dendrites is to ...