Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain – The Study of the Nervous System

Neurons serve as the fundamental functional units of the nervous system, specialized cells that have evolved unique structural and biochemical properties to excel at rapid, long-distance communication. The typical neuron exhibits a polarized morphology with distinct regions including the cell body or soma that contains the nucleus and most organelles, dendrites that receive signals from other neurons, and an axon that transmits signals to target cells. This architectural specialization enables neurons to integrate multiple inputs and generate appropriate outputs with remarkable precision and speed.

The cell membrane of neurons exhibits specialized properties that enable the generation and propagation of electrical signals through the selective permeability to different ions, particularly sodium, potassium, calcium, and chloride. The resting potential of approximately -70 millivolts reflects the unequal distribution of these ions across the membrane, maintained by energy-dependent pumps and selective ion channels that create the electrochemical gradients essential for neural signaling.