The nervous system is the highly complex part of an animal that coordinates its actions and sensory information by transmitting signals to and from different parts of its body. The structure of a neuron suits it for its function of transmitting nerve impulses. It has a special shape that lets it pass electrical signals to and from other cells. A neuron has three main parts: cell body, dendrites, and axon. The cell body contains the nucleus and other organelles that carry out basic cellular processes. Dendrites receive nerve impulses from other cells. A single neuron may have thousands of... Show more

The nervous system is the highly complex part of an animal that coordinates its actions and sensory information by transmitting signals to and from different parts of its body.
The structure of a neuron suits it for its function of transmitting nerve impulses. It has a special shape that lets it pass electrical signals to and from other cells. A neuron has three main parts: cell body, dendrites, and axon. The cell body contains the nucleus and other organelles that carry out basic cellular processes. Dendrites receive nerve impulses from other cells. A single neuron may have thousands of dendrites. The axon passes on the nerve impulses to other cells. It branches at the end into multiple nerve endings so it can transmit impulses to many other cells.    
The nerve endings of an axon don't actually touch the dendrites of other neurons. Nerve impulses must cross a tiny gap between the two neurons, called the synapse. Chemicals called neurotransmitters carry impulses across the synapse. When a nerve impulse arrives at the end of an axon, neurotransmitters are released. They travel across the synapse to a dendrite of another neuron. The neurotransmitters bind to the membrane of the dendrite, triggering a nerve impulse in the next neuron.    
There are three basic types of neurons: sensory neurons, motor neurons, and interneurons. All three types must work together to receive and respond to information. Sensory neurons transmit nerve impulses from sense organs and internal organs to the brain via the spinal cord. In other words, they carry information about the inside and outside environment to the brain. Motor neurons transmit nerve impulses from the brain via the spinal cord to internal organs, glands, and muscles. In other words, they carry information from the brain to the body, telling the body how to respond. Interneurons carry nerve impulses back and forth between sensory and motor neurons.    

Show less