The function of the axon is to carry efferent (outgoing) action potentials and conduct nerve impulse away from the cell body to a synapse. While dendrites are the branched threadlike projections, the axon is a single, slender, longer fiber of a neuron. Both dendrites and axons are cytoplasmic processes.The soma is the cell body that contains the organelles, such as the nucleus.The cell can be distinguished from other cell types in having distinctive parts, such as soma, dendrites and axons. The distal portion of the axon is the axon terminal.Ī neuron (also called a nerve cell) is an excitable cell in the body of higher animals, including humans. This is an illustration of a neuron or a nerve cell with parts indicated: soma, dendrites, and axon.

It is crucial in providing a means for neurotransmitters to exit the neuron and relay signals to the target cell. The axon terminal is therefore essential in cell to cell communication. Soon after, the neurotransmitters are absorbed back to the presynaptic neuron or degraded metabolically by enzymes. The neurotransmitters exert their effects on the target cell within a limited span of time. The synaptic vesicle proteins that are activated by the calcium ions form fusion pores through which the neurotransmitters can exit. This triggers a cascade reaction resulting in the synaptic vesicles fusing to the membrane of the axon terminal. Upon activation by a graded potential or by an action potential of the presynaptic neuron, the cell allows the entry of calcium ions. At the axon terminal, synaptic vesicles containing neurotransmitters are docked. An axon terminal is any of the button-like endings of axons through which axons make synaptic contacts with other nerve cells or with effector cells.

Dendrite vs axon