A neuron (pronounced /njrn/ N(Y)OOR-on, also known as a neurone or nerve cell) is an electrically excitable cell that processes

and transmits information by electrical and chemical signaling. Chemical signaling occurs via synapses, specialized connections
with other cells. Neurons connect to each other to form networks. Neurons are the core components of the nervous system, which
includes the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral ganglia. 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.
1. parts of neurons






Structure of a Neuron
While there are as many as 10,000 specific types of neurons in the human brain, generally speaking, there are three kinds of
neurons: motor neurons (for conveying motor information), sensory neurons (for conveying sensory information),
andinterneurons (which convey information between different types of neurons). The following image identifies how neurons come
in various shapes and sizes.
A "typical" neuron has four distinct parts (or regions). The first part is the cell body(or soma). This is not only the metabolic "control
center" of the neuron, it is also its "manufacturing and recycling plant." . Neurotransmitters are the chemical medium through
which signals flow from one neuron to the next at chemical synapses.






The Structure of a Neuron
There are three basic parts of a neuron: the dendrites, the cell body, and the axon. However, all neurons vary somewhat in size,
shape, and characteristics depending on the function and role of the neuron. Some neurons have few dendritic branches, while
others are highly branched in order to receive a great deal of information.

2. Types of Neurons

While there are many different kinds of neurons, there are three broad categories based on function:

1. Sensory neurons are sensitive to various non-neural stimuli. There are sensory neurons in the skin, muscles,
joints, and organs that indicate pressure, temperature, and pain. There are more specialized neurons in the nose and
tongue that are sensitive to the molecular shapes we perceive as tastes and smells. Neurons in the inner ear are sensitive
to vibration, and provide us with information about sound. And the rods and cones of the retina are sensitive to light,
and allow us to see.
- Sens or y ne ur ons . In s ens or y ne ur ons , i mpul ses ar e t ransmi t t ed f r om
recept or or gans ( f or pai n, vi si on, heari ng, et c. ) to t h e cent ral ne r vous s ys t e m ( CNS)


2. Motor neurons are able to stimulate muscle cells throughout the body, including the muscles of the heart,
diaphragm, intestines, bladder, and glands.
- Mot or ne ur ons . In mot or neur ons , i mpul ses a r e t ransmi t t ed f r om t h e
CNS to mus c l e s a n d gl ands (effect or organs)


3. Interneurons are the neurons that provide connections between sensory and motor neurons, as well as between
themselves. The neurons of the central nervous system, including the brain, are all interneurons.
- I nt e r ne ur ons . I nt e r ne ur ons t ransmi t i nf ormat i on f r om o n e ne ur on to
anot her . An i nt er neur on "connect s" t wo ot he r ne ur ons .

Most neurons are collected into "packages" of one sort or another, sometimes visible to the naked eye. A clump of
neuron cell bodies, for example, is called a ganglion (plural: ganglia) or a nucleus (plural: nuclei). A fiber made up
of many axons is called a nerve. In the brain and spinal cord, areas that are mostly axons are called white matter,
and it is possible to differentiate pathways or tracts of these axons. Areas that include large number of cell bodies
are called gray matter.


3. NEUROTRANSMITTERS
I INTRODUCTION
Neurotransmitter, chemical made by neurons, or nerve cells. Neurons send out neurotransmitters as chemical signals to
activate or inhibit the function of neighboring cells.
Within the central nervous system, which consists of the brain and the spinal cord, neurotransmitters pass from neuron to
neuron.

TYPES OF NEUROTRANSMITTERS
Nine chemical compounds-belonging to three chemical families-are widely recognized as neurotransmitters. In addition, certain
other body chemicals, including adenosine, histamine, enkephalins, endorphins, and epinephrine, have neurotransmitterlike
properties. Experts believe that there are many more neurotransmitters as yet undiscovered.
The first of the three families is composed of amines, a group of compounds containing molecules of carbon, hydrogen, and
nitrogen. Among the amine neurotransmitters areacetylcholine, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. Acetylcholine is the most
widely used neurotransmitter in the body, and neurons that leave the central nervous system (for example, those running to skeletal
muscle) use acetylcholine as their neurotransmitter; neurons that run to the heart, blood vessels, and other organs may use
acetylcholine or norepinephrine. Dopamine is involved in the movement of muscles, and it controls the secretion of the pituitary
hormone prolactin, which triggers milk production in nursing mothers. Dopamine also plays a major role in the obtaining and
retaining of the male erection. The drug Apomorphine is used as a sexual dysfunction drug by stimulating the production of
dopamine and is also a powerful human growth hormone stimulator.
The second neurotransmitter family is composed of amino acids, organic compounds containing both an amino group (NH2) and a
carboxylic acid group (COOH). Amino acids that serve as neurotransmitters include glycine, glutamic and aspartic acids, and
gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA). Glutamic acid and GABA are the most abundant neurotransmitters within the central nervous
system, and especially in the cerebral cortex, which is largely responsible for such higher brain functions as thought and
interpreting sensations.
The third neurotransmitter family is composed of peptides, which are compounds that contain at least 2, and sometimes as many as
100 amino acids. Peptide neurotransmitters are poorly understood, but scientists know that the peptide neurotransmitter called
substance P influences the sensation of pain.
In general, each neuron uses only a single compound as its neurotransmitter. However, some neurons outside the central nervous
system are able to release both an amine and a peptide neurotransmitter.
There are many different ways to classify neurotransmitters. Dividing them into amino acids, peptides, and monoamines is
sufficient for some classification purposes.
Major neurotransmitters:
Amino acids: glutamate, aspartate, serine, -aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine
Monoamines: dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (noradrenaline; NE, NA), epinephrine (adrenaline), histamine, serotonin (SE, 5-
HT), melatonin
Others: acetylcholine (ACh), adenosine, anandamide, nitric oxide, etc.


4.The nervous system is an organ system containing a network of specialized cells called neurons that coordinate the actions of
an animal and transmit signals between different parts of its body. In most animals the nervous system consists of two parts, central
and peripheral. The central nervous system of vertebrates (such as humans) contains the brain, spinal cord, and retina.
The peripheral nervous system consists of sensory neurons, clusters of neurons called ganglia, and nervesconnecting them to each
other and to the central nervous system.



























5. The adult human brain weighs on average about 3 lb (1.5 kg) with a size (volume) of around 1130 cubic centimetres (cm
3
) in
women and 1260 cm
3
in men, although there is substantial individual variation. Men with the same body height and body surface
area as women have on average 100g heavier brains, although these differences do not correlate in any simple way with gray matter
neuron counts or with overall measures of cognitive performance.
[7]
Neanderthals had larger brains at adulthood than present-day
humans. The brain is very soft, having a consistency similar to soft gelatin or firm tofu. Despite being referred to as "grey matter",
the live cortex is pinkish-beige in color and slightly off-white in the interior. At the age of 20, a man has around 176,000 km and a
woman, about 149,000 km of myelinated axons in their brains
THE CEREBRUM:
Frontal Lobe
Behavior
Abstract thought processes
Problem solving
Attention
Creative thought
Some emotion
Intellect
Reflection
Judgment
Initiative
Inhibition
Coordination of movements
Generalized and mass movements
Some eye movements
Sense of smell
Muscle movements
Skilled movements
Some motor skills
Physical reaction
Libido (sexual urges)
Occipital Lobe
Vision
Reading
Parietal Lobe
Sense of touch (tactile senstation)
Appreciation of form through touch (stereognosis)
Response to internal stimuli (proprioception)
Sensory combination and comprehension
Some language and reading functions
Some visual functions
Temporal Lobe
Auditory memories
Some hearing
Visual memories
Some vision pathways
Other memory
Music
Fear
Some language
Some speech
Some behavior amd emotions
Sense of identity
Right Hemisphere (the representational hemisphere)
The right hemisphere controls the left side of the body
Temporal and spatial relationships
Analyzing nonverbal information
Communicating emotion
Left Hemisphere (the categorical hemisphere)
The left hemisphere controls the right side of the body
Produce and understand language
Corpus Callosum
Communication between the left and right side of the brain
THE CEREBELLUM
Balance
Posture
Cardiac, respiratory, and vasomotor centers
THE BRAIN STEM
Motor and sensory pathway to body and face
Vital centers: cardiac, respiratory, vasomotor

Hypothalamus
Moods and motivation
Sexual maturation
Temperature regulation
Hormonal body processes
Optic Chiasm
Vision and the optic nerve
Pituitary Gland
Hormonal body processes
Physical maturation
Growth (height and form)
Sexual maturation
Sexual functioning
Spinal Cord
Conduit and source of sensation and movement
Pineal Body
Ventricles and Cerebral Aqueduct
Contains the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord

Parts of the human brain :