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A dendrite (from Greek δένδρον déndron, "tree") or dendron is a branched cytoplasmic process that extends from a nerve cell that propagates the electrochemical stimulation received from other neural cells to the cell body, or soma, of the neuron from which the dendrites project.
An action potential (or nerve impulse) is a transient alteration of the transmembrane voltage (or membrane potential) across the membrane in an excitable cell generated by the activity of voltage-gated ion channels embedded in the membrane. The best known action potentials are pulse-like waves that travel along the axons of neurons.
The soma of a neuron (i.e., the main part of the neuron in which the dendrites branch off of) contains many organelles, including granules called Nissl granules, which are composed largely of rough endoplasmic reticulum and free polyribosomes. [5] The cell nucleus is a key feature of the soma.
Osteocytes, the most common cell type within mature cortical bone, actively participate in the growth and maintenance of TCVs through the transfer of mitochondria to endothelial cells. Scanning electron microscopy images have revealed that osteocytes possess numerous dendritic processes with expanded, endfoot-like structures. These endfeet ...
Dendritic cells are present in tissues that are in contact with the body's external environment, such as the skin (where there is a specialized dendritic cell type called the Langerhans cell), and the inner lining of the nose, lungs, stomach and intestines. They can also be found in an immature and mature state in the blood.
The cell bodies of invertebrate unipolar neurons are often located around the edges of the neuropil, in the so-called cell-body rind. [3] Most neurons in the central nervous systems of vertebrates, including mammals, are multipolar. [4] In multipolar neurons, multiple processes extend from the cell body including dendrites and axons.
The neuron cell has three components – dendrites, soma, and axon as shown in Figure 1. Dendrites, which have the shape of a tree with branches, called arbor, receive the message from other neurons with which the neuron is connected via synapses. The action potential received by each dendrite from the synapse is called the postsynaptic potential.
Dendritic spines serve as a storage site for synaptic strength and help transmit electrical signals to the neuron's cell body. Most spines have a bulbous head (the spine head), and a thin neck that connects the head of the spine to the shaft of the dendrite. The dendrites of a single neuron can contain hundreds to thousands of spines.