Science · Class 10

Structure of a Neuron (Nerve Cell)

Meet the nerve cell — see how a message travels from the dendrites, along the axon, to the next neuron.

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🧠 Remember it

Structure of a Neuron (Nerve Cell)

Signal path = "DCAT": Dendrite → Cell body → Axon → Terminals. Messages always travel one way, dendrite to terminal.

🌏 In real life

When you touch a hot pan and pull back instantly, an electrical impulse raced along neurons exactly like this — from skin receptors, through your spinal cord, to your arm muscles, in a fraction of a second.

📝 Quick notes

  • DENDRITES receive signals (information) from other neurons or from receptors.
  • The CELL BODY (cyton) contains the nucleus and processes the incoming signal.
  • The AXON is a long fibre that carries the electrical impulse away from the cell body.
  • At the end, NERVE ENDINGS (axon terminals) pass the signal across a tiny gap — the SYNAPSE — to the next neuron using chemicals.

🎯 Test yourself

In which direction does a nerve impulse travel through a neuron?

From the dendrites → cell body → axon → axon terminals (one direction only).

Learn it fully — free

See the animated, step-by-step Structure of a Neuron (Nerve Cell) lesson on Syllab

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