ACTION POTENTIAL & NERVES-TUTORIAL
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Nerves Have Axons, Dendrites and Cell Bodies
- Nerve cells are designed to respond to stimuli and transmit information over long distances
- Nerve cell has 3 parts:
- Cell body:
- Has single nucleus
- Has most of nerve cell metabolism, especially protein synthesis
- Proteins made in cell body must be delivered to other parts of nerve
- Axon:
- Long cylinder, designed to transmit an electrical impulse
- Can be several meters long in vertebrates (giraffe axons go from head to tip of spine)
- Has axonal transport system for delivering proteins to ends of cell
- Cell body: