Nuts and Bolts: the neuron

[manouli]

Nuts and Bolts: the neuron
January 19, 2012 By Lydia Harriss


Neurons are highly specialised cells that conduct and process information in animals, enabling thought, perception and control of movement. Problems with neuronal function underpin a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Lydia Harriss presents a quick guide to these remarkable cells.

Individual neurons were first identified by Santiago Ramón y Cajal at the end of the 19th century. Using a tissue-staining technique invented by Camillo Golgi, he produced microscopy images showing that the brain is not a continuous mesh of tissue but formed from individual cells, or neurons.

A single neuron may be connected to as many as 200 000 others, via junctions called synapses. They form an extensive network throughout the body, and can transmit signals at speeds of 100 metres per second. This enables animals to process and respond to events rapidly, for example by carrying sensory information from the ears to the brain, then instructions for movement from the brain to the leg muscles.

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http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-nuts-neuron.html