Chapter Fifteen 

Outside Intervention 

Axons are covered by a membrane known as an axolemma;

Which conveys signals between the neuron and its Schwann cells

 a type of glial cell that surrounds neurons, keeping them alive and sometimes covering them with a myelin sheath

that control the proliferative and myelin-producing functions of the Schwann cells and partly regulate axon size

the cytoplasm of an axon is called axoplasm.

involved in the transport of proteins within the neuron

Most axons branch and the end branches of an axon are called telodendria

Branched ends of nerve cells are called telodendria, which establish the functional contact with other nerve cells

The axon hillock is a specialized part of the cell body (or soma) of a neuron that connects to the axon

Axon terminals are the ends of axons which transmit messages to other cells via use of neurotransmitters at synapses. Meanwhile, axon collaterals are branches off a main axon that allow a neuron to communicate with even more and different types of cells

The nodes of Ranvier allow for ions

an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge

to diffuse in and out of the neuron,

the passive movement of molecules or particles from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration

propagating the electrical signal down the axon. Since the nodes are spaced out, they allow for saltatory conduction,

the rapid method by which nerve impulses move down a myelinated axon with excitation occurring only at nodes of Ranvier

 Excitatory currents are those that prompt one neuron to share information with the next through an action potential, while inhibitory currents reduce the probability that such a transfer will take place

where the signal rapidly jumps from node to node.

Starting the final chapter