Related topics: brain , memory , brain cells , learning , nerve cells
Neuron
hideA neuron (pronounced /ˈnjʊərɒn/ N(Y)OOR-on, also known as a neurone or nerve cell) is an excitable cell in the nervous system that processes and transmits information by electrochemical signalling. Neurons are the core components of the brain, the vertebrate spinal cord, the invertebrate ventral nerve cord, and the peripheral nerves. A number of specialized types of neurons exist: sensory neurons respond to touch, sound, light and numerous other stimuli affecting cells of the sensory organs that then send signals to the spinal cord and brain. Motor neurons receive signals from the brain and spinal cord and cause muscle contractions and affect glands. Interneurons connect neurons to other neurons within the same region of the brain or spinal cord. Neurons respond to stimuli, and communicate the presence of stimuli to the central nervous system, which processes that information and sends responses to other parts of the body for action. Neurons do not go through mitosis, and usually cannot be replaced after being destroyed, although astrocytes have been observed to turn into neurons as they are sometimes pluripotent.
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News tagged with neurons
Machine Translates Thoughts into Speech in Real Time
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 21, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (76) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- By implanting an electrode into the brain of a person with locked-in syndrome, scientists have demonstrated how to wirelessly transmit neural signals to a speech synthesizer. The "thought-to-speech" ...
Scientists discover aggression-promoting pheromone in flies (w/ Video)
Dec 06, 2009 |
4 / 5 (10) |
1
Have you ever found yourself struggling to get your order taken at a crowded bar or lunch counter, only to walk away in disgust as more aggressive customers elbow their way to the front? It turns out that ...
How to read brain activity?
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 04, 2009 |
4.1 / 5 (7) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- For the very first time, scientists show what EEG can really tell us about how the brain functions.
Newly Discovered Gene Mutation Linked to Nerve Diseases
Dec 28, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have identified mutations in the gene for TRPV4 that cause two related degenerative motor nerve disorders, scapuloperoneal spinal muscular ...
Scientists discover how the brain encodes memories at a cellular level
Dec 23, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (36) |
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Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have made a major discovery in how the brain encodes memories. The finding, published in the December 24 issue of the journal Neuron, could eventually lead to the development ...
Up a little on the left... now, over to the right... Scientists find a source of nonallergic itch
Dec 22, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (4) |
0
Scratching below the surface of a troublesome sensation that's equal parts tingle-tickle-prickle, sensory scientists from Johns Hopkins have discovered in mice a molecular basis for nonallergic itch.
Exposure to young triggers new neuron creation in females exhibiting maternal behavior
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 17, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
Maternal behavior itself can trigger the development of new neurons in the maternal brain independent of whether the female was pregnant or has nursed, according to a study released by researchers at Tufts University's Cummings ...
Light used to map effect of neurons on one another
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 17, 2009 |
5 / 5 (3) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at Harvard University have used light and genetic trickery to trace out neurons' ability to excite or inhibit one another, literally shedding new light on the question of how neurons ...
Tiny molecule slows progression of Lou Gehrig's disease in mice
Dec 10, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that a molecule produced naturally by muscles in response to nerve damage can reduce symptoms and prolong life in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ...
Fruit fly neuron can reprogram itself after injury
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 06, 2009 |
5 / 5 (4) |
0
Studies with fruit flies have shown that the specialized nerve cells called neurons can rebuild themselves after injury.
Researchers identify gene that spurs deadly brain cancer
Dec 03, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers have identified a new factor that is necessary for the development of many forms of medulloblastoma, the most common type of malignant childhood brain cancer.
Heavy metal paradox could point toward new therapy for Lou Gehrig's disease
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 30, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
0
New discoveries have been made about how an elevated level of lead, which is a neurotoxic heavy metal, can slow the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease - findings that could point the way ...
Scientists find clue to mystery of biological clock
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 30, 2009 |
3.5 / 5 (2) |
0
How does our biological system know that it is supposed to operate on a 24-hour cycle? Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered that a tiny molecule holds the clue to the mystery.
Small molecules found to protect cells in multiple models of Parkinson's disease
Dec 28, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Several structurally similar small molecules appear capable of protecting cells from alpha-synuclein toxicity in multiple models of Parkinson's disease, according to Whitehead Institute researchers. Misfolded copies of the ...
'Volume dial' neurone may aid spinal disease
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 11, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scottish researchers have discovered a new class of neuron that may lead to new therapies for spinal injury.
