What do you know about the characteristics of neurons? They are the fundamental functional unit of the nervous system. Our behavior and cognition ultimately depend on how they work and how each neuron is able to connect with its ‘colleagues’. These small nerve cells form our biological substrate on a psychological level and are the basis of our emotions and thoughts.
First, it is essential to know that all neurons have the same genetic information as other cells in the body and that in addition, in their structure, they have the same fundamental elements (membrane, nucleus, organelles, etc. ). The differences between other cells is their place in the neural network, allowing them to execute the basic processes of receiving, processing and transmitting information.
- To understand what a neuron is it is very important to know its synaptic structure and function.
- These two aspects will help us understand why they come together the way they do and how they transmit information through the brain.
- So in this article.
- It will explain the characteristics of neurons.
- Their structure and synapses.
Although there are several types of neurons with different structures, it is possible to find common elements among them, the typical structure is one that consists of three fundamental parts: soma, dendrites and axon, this anatomy allows to perform the functions of connectivity and information management.
Before explaining each part, it is interesting to mention the peculiarity of the neural membrane, its permeability is different from that of other cells of the body, allowing them to respond to the stimuli of the surrounding environment, as a result, the electrical impulse generated can be transferred to other cells or tissues.
The central part of the neuron is the soma, the place where all metabolic activity takes place. The soma contains the cell nucleus, as well as other microstructures and cell organelles, responsible for keeping the neuron alive.
Dendrites are branches that originate in the neural soma and give a tree appearance to the nerve cell, are the main area of receiving information The dendritic tree has several branches that allow a neuron to connect with the axons of other neurons and thus communicate with the information transmitted through the fact that the dendrites have a number of neuroreceptors along their membrane. Although communication commonly occurs between axons-dendrites, it can also occur in other ways (axon-axon or axon-soma).
The axon comes from the soma, a thick segment called axonic. Its function is to integrate all the information captured by the neuron and then pass it on to others. At the end of the axon are the so-called terminal buttons, which are responsible for connecting to the dendrites of other neurons.
Once the neural structure is understood, it is critical to understand how neurons communicate with each other. The communication of neurons takes place through the synapse. This process generally occurs through the axon-dendrite connection, but, as mentioned above, other types of communications are possible.
At the morphofunctional level, communication is classified as an electrical or chemical synapse and, although it is possible to find several electrical synapses, mainly in relation to smooth muscles, the vast majority of synapses in the mammalian nervous system are chemical.
Electrical synapses involve structures called conexins, which are ion channels that connect neurons and allow the passage of electrical current between them. The advantage of this type of synapse over chemistry is the absence of delay in the transmission of information. that the quality and capacity of the information is much lower than that of the other type of synapse.
In chemical synapses the essential is the existence of substances called neurotransmitters or neuromodulators (such as dopamine), these substances are stored in the axonal terminal, waiting for the release of order, as soon as they break off in the interstitial space of two neurons, these neurotransmitters adhere to a number of receptors that modulate neural activity. There are many neurotransmitters, each with different consequences and functions.
The in-depth study of the characteristics of neurons helps us explain different processes, through research in neurosciences we can know in depth the neural mechanisms of learning, perception, emotions, etc.