A neuron is a microscopic structure composed of three major parts namely cell body (soma), dendrites and axon. The cell body is the spherical part of the neuron that contains all the cellular organelles as a typical cell (except centriole). The plasma membrane covering the neuron is called neurilemma and the axon is axolemma.
The repeatedly branched short fibres coming out of the cell body are called dendrites, which transmit impulses towards the cell body. The cell body and the dendrites contain cytoplasm and granulated endoplasmic reticulum called Nissl’s granules.
An axon is a long fibre that arises from a cone shaped area of the cell body called the Axon hillock and ends at the branched distal end. Axon hillock is the place where the nerve impulse is generated in the motor neurons.
The axon of one neuron branches and forms connections with many other neurons. An axon contains the same organelles found in the dendrites and cell body but lacks Nissl’s granules and Golgi apparatus.
The axon, particularly of peripheral nerves is surrounded by Schwann cells (a type of glial cell) to form myelin sheath, which act as an insulator. Myelin sheath is associated only with the axon; dendrites are always non-myelinated.
Schwann cells are not continuous along the axon; so there are gaps in the myelin sheath between adjacent Schwann cells. These gaps are called Nodes of Ranvier.
Large myelinated nerve fibres conduct impulses rapidly, whereas non-myelinated fibres conduct impulses quite slowly. Each branch at the distal end of the axon terminates into a bulb like structure called synaptic knob which possesses synaptic vesicles filled with neurotransmitters. The axon transmits nerve impulses away from the cell body to inter neural space or to a neuro-muscular junction.
