Definition

1. Noun:
   • The long, slender projection of a neuron (nerve cell): An axone, more commonly spelled axon, is the primary transmission line of the neuron. It is a long, thin fiber that conducts electrical impulses (action potentials) away from the neuron's cell body toward other neurons, muscles, or glands.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • The signal travels along the axone to the synaptic terminal.
  • Damage to the axone can disrupt communication between nerve cells.
  • Each neuron typically has one axone, which can be very long.

Advanced Usage

• Axonal transport: The process of moving materials along the length of the axone.

  • Proteins are synthesized in the cell body and transported down the axone via axonal transport.

• Axon hillock: The specialized region of the neuron's cell body where the axone originates and where action potentials are typically generated.

  • The axon hillock integrates incoming signals and initiates the nerve impulse.

Variants and Related Words

• Axon (n): The standard and more common spelling for "axone." Both terms are synonymous.

  • The axon is insulated by a myelin sheath.

• Axonal (adj): Pertaining to or of the nature of an axon.

  • Axonal damage is a feature of some neurological diseases.

• Dendrite (n): A short branched extension of a nerve cell, which receives signals from other neurons and conducts them toward the cell body. This is the structural and functional counterpart to the axone.

  • Dendrites receive incoming messages from other neurons.

Synonyms

• Nerve fiber: A general term for the long process of a neuron, which can include the axon.
• Neurite: A broad term for any projection from the cell body of a neuron (includes both axons and dendrites during development).

Related Phrases and Compounds

• Axon terminal / Synaptic terminal: The end of the axone where it forms a junction (synapse) with another cell and releases neurotransmitters.

  • The electrical impulse triggers the release of chemicals at the axon terminal.

• Myelinated axon: An axon that is wrapped in a fatty insulating layer called myelin, which speeds up signal conduction.

  • Myelinated axons appear white, forming the brain's "white matter."

Noun

1. long nerve fiber that conducts away from the cell body of the neuron