NERVE CELLS

Miss Melinda T. Rafael

Adviser
Grade VI Julian Felipe

The body system that controls other parts of the

body is the nervous system.
the nervous system receives signals or stimuli from
inside and outside your body. A stimulus is an agent or
factor that provokes interest, enthusiasm or excitement.
Once your nervous system receives a stimulus, it
reacts. A response is an action of an organism ar any
part of its body to stimulus.
The nervous system receives stimuli and after
processing them, gives direction to various parts of the
body to coordinate the responses.
The NEURONS, considered as the working unit of
the nervous system, carries out all these functions.

The NEURON or nerve cell is the functional unit

of the nervous system.
A neuron is a cell in the body that is specialized to carry
messages.
The process by which a neuron carries messages from
one part of the brain to another is through what is called an
electrochemical process.
The electro part happens in the neuron itself.
The chemical part happens at a junction between two
neurons called the synapse.

 There are about 100 billion neurons in the human brain

. These neurons have many shapes and come in many
sizes.
Their job is to allow you to think and behave.
For example, solving a math problem in your head and
raising your hand in class to answer the teachers question
are both activities that are controlled and coordinated by
your brain through the behavior of neurons.

 Neurons are like other body cells

they have a cell membrane
a nucleus that contains DNA
deoxyribonucleic acid, a self-replicating material
present in nearly all living organisms as the main
constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of
genetic information.
the fundamental and distinctive characteristics or
qualities of someone or something, especially when
regarded as unchangeable.
some working parts of the cell known as organelles,
they carry on protein synthesis and energy
production.

 Neurons are different from other body cells:

they have an irregular shape
they have specialized extensions called dendrites and
axons
they communicate with each other through the
electrochemical process
they have some other specialized structures (such as
the synapse)
They use chemicals for communication called
neurotransmitters.

STRUCTURE OF A
NEURON

MAJOR PARTS
1. DENDRITES - Carry nerve impulse towards
nerve cell
It has a rough surface, with little bumps called
dendritic spines that increase the surface area of the
dendrite so it can receive more information from the
neighboring neuron.
2. AXON - Carry nerve impulses away from cell
They have smooth surfaces and no spines like
dendrites have.

3. CELL BODY - also called soma or cyton is

responsible for the nutrition and maintenance of the
entire cell

OTHER PARTS OF THE NEURON

a. SCHWANNS CELL- also called neurilemma cell, any
of the cells in the peripheral nervous system that
produce the myelin sheath around neuronal
axons. Schwann cells are named after German
physiologist Theodor Schwann, who discovered them in
the 19th century.

b.

MYELIN SHEATH
- Myelin is a fatty substance that covers some axons. If
an axon has myelin, the information it sends can travel
faster than if the axon does not have myelin.
Myelin is produced by support cells in the nervous system
called glia.
c. NODES OF RANVIER - allow passage of the
electrical signal through ion channels which helps
the transmission very fast.

 Synapse- space between the axon of one neuron and

the dendrite of another cell (they do not touch)

* Nafly Hussain *

Types of Neurons:
1. Sensory neurons
2. Inter neurons
3. Motor Neurons

 Sensory (or afferent) neurons: send information from sensory

receptors (e.g., in skin, eyes, nose, tongue, ears) TOWARD the
central nervous system.
Motor (or efferent) neurons: send information AWAY from the
central nervous system to muscles or glands.
Inter neurons: send information BETWEEN sensory neurons
and motor neurons. Most inter neurons are located in the
central nervous system.

* Nafly Hussain *