Axon
Axon
Axon (/ˈæks.ɒn/), also known as nerve fiber, is a long, slender projection of a neuron that typically conducts electrical impulses away from the neuron's cell body. The function of the axon is to transmit information to different neurons, muscles, and glands.
Etymology
The term "axon" comes from the Greek word 'ἄξων' (áxōn), which means 'axis'. It was introduced by British scientist John Scott Burdon-Sanderson in the late 19th century.
Structure
An axon is a special cellular extension (process) that arises from the cell body at a site called the axon hillock and travels for a distance, as far as 1 meter in humans or more in other species. It ends by branching into many smaller terminal boutons that are linked to the dendrites or cell bodies of other neurons in synapses.
Function
The primary role of the axon is to carry electrical signals, known as action potentials, from the neuron to which it is attached to other cells. This is achieved through a complex electrochemical process involving ion channels and pumps.
Related Terms
- Dendrite: The branched projections of a neuron that act to propagate the electrochemical stimulation received from other neural cells to the cell body, or soma, of the neuron from which the dendrites project.
- Myelin Sheath: A layer of fatty tissue encasing a neuron's axon that speeds transmission along nerve cells.
- Neurotransmitter: Chemicals that transmit signals across a synapse from one neuron (nerve cell) to another 'target' neuron, muscle cell, or gland cell.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Axon
- Wikipedia's article - Axon
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