Parts of a Neuron and How Signals are Transmitted:

Dendrites:

[Image of a dendrite]

• Dendrites are tree-like extensions of neurons that receive information from other neurons and transmit electrical impulses to the neuron's cell body.
• They are covered in synapses, which are specialized junctions that allow neurons to communicate with each other.

Characteristics of Dendrites:

• Have a variable number of dendrites on a neuron.
• Generally short and highly branched.
• Receive and transmit information to the cell body.

Most neurons have multiple dendrites which are branch-like extensions that extend outward away from the cell body. These dendrites then receive chemical signals from other neurons, which are converted into electrical impulses that are transmitted toward the cell body.

Some neurons have very small, short dendrites, while other neurons have very long ones. The neurons of the central nervous system have very long and complex dendrites that then receive signals from as many as a thousand other neurons.

If the electrical impulses transmitted inward toward the cell body are large enough, they will generate an action potential. This results in the signal being transmitted down the axon.