Question

What are the three main parts of a neuron and how does an impulse travel through a neuron?

Answer 1

Hint: Neurons are structural and functional units of the nervous system. Neurons transmit information throughout the body.

Complete answer:
Neurons are units of the nervous system which carry information throughout the body using chemical and electrical signals. They receive and transmit signals. Neurons help in coordination. Neurons are the cells that make up the brain and the nervous system. They are the fundamental units that send and receive signals which allow us to move our muscles, feel the external world, think, and perform various activities.There are almost 100 billion neurons in the human body. There are three basic types of neurons based on function- sensory neurons, motor neurons, and interneurons.

Every neuron has three distinctive parts. They are dendrites, cyton and axon.

1)Dendrites are thin long projections of neurons (nerve cells) that receive signals from other neurons. Their structure resembles a tree-like branch system, forming projections that become stimulated by other neurons and conduct the impulses to the cell body.

2)Cyton is the central or cell body of a neuron. It contains cytoplasm and the nucleus.The cytoplasm of cyton shows characteristic Nissl's granules. Cyton receives electrical impulses from other neurons through dendrites.

3)Axon is also called nerve fibre. It is the portion of a nerve cell (neuron) that carries nerve impulses away from the cell body. The axon endings connect with other neurons or with muscle or gland cells.

The transfer of information from one neuron to another is achieved through chemical signals and electric impulses. Dendrites receive information and direct it towards the cell body and axons. Axon endings then take information away from the cell body. Information from one neuron flows to another neuron across a synapse.

The synapse is a small gap separating neurons. Neurotransmitters like acetylcholine are present which chemically transmit the signals to another neuron.

Note: The function of neurons are:-
1)They help in communication
2)They act as carriers for carrying messages from neuron to the cell body
3)They help in responding to a stimuli
4)They help in generation of nerve impulses