neuron

American  

[noor-on, nyoor-] / ˈnʊər ɒn, ˈnyʊər- /

especially British, neurone

noun

1. Cell Biology. a specialized, impulse-conducting cell that is the functional unit of the nervous system, consisting of the cell body and its processes, the axon and dendrites.

---

neuron Scientific  

/ nr′ŏn′ /

1. A cell of the nervous system. Neurons typically consist of a cell body, which contains a nucleus and receives incoming nerve impulses, and an axon, which carries impulses away from the cell body.

2. Also called nerve cell

---

Other Word Forms

• neuronal adjective

Etymology

Origin of neuron

First recorded in 1880–85, neuron is from the Greek word neûron sinew, cord, nerve

Example Sentences

"Depending on the amplitude and frequency of the vibration, we can either excite or inhibit neurons in the spinal cord," he said.

From Science Daily

The cerebral cortex contains many different types of neurons that must communicate effectively with one another and with other brain regions.

From Science Daily

Evidence suggested that ImP can travel through the body, reach the brain, and contribute to the loss of dopamine-producing neurons.

From Science Daily

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, points to malfunctioning mitochondria as a major contributor to the progressive breakdown of cerebellar neurons known as Purkinje cells.

From Science Daily

Increasing the number of artificial neurons in transformers and fully connected networks produced little meaningful change.

From Science Daily