Question

Describe briefly the structure of a nerve cell.

Answer 1

Nerve cell is the basic functional unit of the nervous system. It is also called as neuron. It consist of cell body that contains nucleus and other cell organelles like mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus. It consists of tiny branches called dendrites all over the cell body. Dendrites receive signals from other cells and pass them toward the cell body. Axon is the single long output from the cell body. It carries information from the cell body over long distances quickly. Axon terminal is present at the end of axons. It makes the actual connection to other neurons. In some never cells, axons are covered by myelin sheath. It acts as insulation for the axon. The gaps between myelin sheath cells are called Nodes of Ranvier. Schwann cell plays important role in myelinating the axons of the PNS.