Neuron
Domain : Pathophysiology
Category : Learn more
Simplified definition
Brain cell that receives information from the external environment and sends commands to our body by connecting to other neurons.
Source: Houria Aiouaz, for Alzheimer Foundation
Referenced definition
“Any of the impulse-conducting cells that constitute the brain, spinal column, and nerves, consisting of a nucleated cell body with one or more dendrites and a single axon.”
Source: Termium Plus. Neuron. [Internet]. Sept 2001 [cited on Sept 7, 2022].
Context
“[In Alzheimer’s] the loss of neurons spreads in a somewhat predictable pattern to other regions of the brains. By the late stage of the disease, the brain has shrunk significantly.”
Source: Mayo Clinic. Alzheimer’s disease. [Internet]. [cited on Sept 7, 2022].
Note
- The more we learn new things, the more our neurons make connections.
- The human brain has 100 billion neurons.
- There are different types of neurons according to the different functions of the brain, such as sensory neurons, motor neurons, and interneurons, which connect sensory and motor neurons.
A neuron:
Several neurons in the brain: