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Definition Assignment

Israel Romero
ENGL 363 – 02
25 February 2019
 Neuron
A neuron is a cell that comprises an animal’s nervous system and can transmit and

receive chemical or electrical signals from other types of cells within the animal.

The central nervous system (CNS) is the control center of an animal consisting of the

brain and spinal cord. The CNS processes incoming signals from cells and relays output signals

to distinct areas, allowing the animal to respond appropriately to the input signal. The peripheral

nervous system (PNS) is composed of neurons, which are responsible for transmitting these

signals throughout the animal’s body. It is key that the neurons reach out to every edge and

corner of the animal’s physical structure. In a sense, if you need to travel around town, you’re

going to need roads or pathways to reach desired destinations − neurons are the roads for the

signals to travel on to get where they need to go.

Basic Structure

Neurons take on countless shapes and structures, but some of the key features of a neuron

are the dendrites, axon, and cell body (or soma). The cell soma of the neuron contains the

nucleus and other organelles (compartments within a cell that perform specific functions) such as

the ribosome, mitochondria, and lysosome. 1 Each of these organelles plays a part in the process

of producing proteins and energy for the neuron to keep functioning properly and spreading

signals to other cells.

 The signals being sent around the animal are

first transmitted to the dendrites of the neuron. The

dendrites appear as tree-like branch structures that

are in contact with surrounding neurons to ensure

efficient signaling between nervous system cells. 2

The axon is essentially an extension of the neuron,

where the signal can travel down and reach any target

cell.1 Brown University’s sketch of a basic neuron,

displayed to the right, exhibits the structures that are

found in the various types of neurons of the nervous Basic Anatomy of a Neuron3

system.

After the signal travels through the neuron’s soma and most of the stalk-like axon, the

signal reaches the end of the road, illustrated as root-like structures with tiny buds on the tips.

These root-like structures are called axon terminals, and this region is where the signal is

released from the neuron and travels across a synapse to the next neuron or target cell. A synapse

is a space between the neuron’s axon terminals and the surrounding cell. This space is where the

neurotransmitter (chemical signal molecule) travels to spread the signal to its destined target cell.

Chemical Signaling

The chemical signals that travel down the neuron’s axon are stored in vesicles, which are

membrane-bound organelles used for storage and transport.4

 The presynaptic cell is the neuron that is sending

the signal across the synapse, whereas the postsynaptic cell

is the neuron that is receiving such said signal from the

synapse. Using Khan Academy’s image on the left as

reference, the presynaptic neuron is the one on the top half

labeled as “Sending cell” and the other cell labeled as

“Receiving cell” is the postsynaptic neuron. The chemical

signal leaves the presynaptic neuron through a process

known as exocytosis. This process is when the vesicle

(yellow circle) fuses to the axon terminal and releases its

5
Chemical Synapse
neurotransmitter signals into the synaptic space so that it

could travel to the postsynaptic neuron to spread the signal.

The positive charge of calcium (Ca2+) acts as key regulator of the exocytotic activity in

the presynaptic neuron.6 This finding means that the presence of calcium serves as a factor that

influences whether chemical signals can be transmitted through the axon terminals into the space

between the neurons (synapse).

Electrical Signaling

Electrical signaling is another kind of signaling within neurons, where the major

difference is that the presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons are joined together by a gap junction

channel rather than having synaptic space between them. Gap junctions resemble tunnel-like
structures and are known for their ability to allow movement of positive and negatively charged

particles (ions) through it. This kind of neuron signaling deals with ions moving across the

membrane of the neuron to create different charges in the neuron, creating an action potential

(electrical signal). The neuron is polarized at a resting state, meaning that it has more negative

charges inside than outside its membrane. When an input signal is present, the neuron membrane

channels open and allow positive charges like sodium to enter, creating a depolarization (positive

charge) of the neuron.1 When the charge reaches a threshold, or level of positive charge inside

the neuron, the action potential is produced and the signal travels down the neuron.

The diagram to the right illustrates the

structural nature of neurons that send electrical

signals. It is a cross-sectional diagram, where the

structure is vertically split in half, which portrays the

route that the electrical signal takes to reach the next

cell to propagate the signal throughout the animal. Electrical Synapse – Basic Structure7

Electrical signaling functioning without the need for neurotransmitter receptors on the

postsynaptic neuron allows for a more direct transmission of the neuron’s signal between cells. 8

A more direct nature of the signaling as exemplified in this type of signaling results in a faster

process when compared to chemical signaling. Electrical signals travel through the gap junctions

to the neighboring neuron, whereas chemical signals must travel through vesicles and exit a

neuron via exocytosis where they would then bind to other neurons to keep the signal traveling to

its destination.
Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Eduardo Alcaraz for helping me realize that I needed to clarify

some of the ideas found in my definition, as well as providing some advice on the structure of

my work.
 Works Cited

1. Silverthorn, D. U., Johnson, B. R., Ober, W. C., Ober, C. E., Impagliazzo, A., &
Silverthorn, A. C. (2019). Human Physiology: An Integrated Approach (8th ed.). New
York, NY: Pearson Education.
2. Elias, M., Salem, N. M., Awad, M. M., & ElMessiery, M. A. (2019). Contribution of
branching order of dendrites to morphology of neural cells. Current Science
(00113891), 116(3), 457–462. https://doi.org/10.18520/cs/v116/i3/457-462
3. Basic Anatomy of a Neuron [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2019, from
http://www.cog.brown.edu/courses/cg0001/lectures/visualpaths.html
4. Genetic Science Learning Center. (2010, September 2) Directing Traffic: How Vesicles
Transport Cargo. Retrieved February 18, 2019, from
https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/cells/vesicles/
5. Chemical Synapse [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2019, from
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/cell-signaling/mechanisms-of-cell-
signaling/a/introduction-to-cell-signaling
6. Igarashi, M., & Watanabe, M. (2007). Roles of calmodulin and calmodulin-binding
proteins in synaptic vesicle recycling during regulated exocytosis at submicromolar Ca2
concentrations. Neuroscience Research,58(3), 226-233. doi:10.1016/j.neures.2007.03.005
7. Electrical Synapse - Basic Structure [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2019,
from https://www.getbodysmart.com/nervous-system/electrical-synapse-structure
8. Curti, S., & O’Brie, J. (2016). Characteristics and plasticity of electrical synaptic
transmission. BMC Cell Biology, 17, 59–70. https://doi-org.lib-
proxy.fullerton.edu/10.1186/s12860-016-0091-y
 Post Write
The techniques that I used in this definition assignment were the use of graphics to aid in

visualizing what I was explaining. I also used partitioning to help the reader take the information

and categorize it to have an easier understanding of the term. A comparison was used as well,

where I compared the neuron to streets or paths that people use to get to places. A signal uses

neurons to travel around to places it needs to get to.