Description:

 

The functional unit of the nervous system is a cell called the neuron. Neurons, along with glial cells (which support the neurons as a type of connective tissue), make up the nervous system. Neurons are cells that do not undergo mitosis and conduct nerve impulses. They are separated into three parts. The cell body is similar to a normal cell because it contains a nucleus and general organelles except for the ones that are used in mitosis. The dendrites are small projections from the cell body and carry the impulses received from other neurons and carry them to the cell body. Finally, the axon is a larger branch that takes impulses away from the cell body and carries them to another neuron. The axon is surrounded by a myelin sheath, with gaps called nodes of Ranvier.