Dendron/Axon confusion

By the look of it, dendrons are just cell processes. These cell processes consist of axons. Thus the number of axons are summarized to a dendron. That is what I would interpret from your picture.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 2

Laurasaur

14

Original post by TrojanH

I've read responses and they dont help much.

Is a dendron to one side of the cell body, and the axon the other?

Anyone willing to clearly explain why the dendron is to the left of the sensory neurone body and the axon is to the right?

They are called different things because there are subtle differences between them.

The dendron is the part of the nerve cell that carries the impulse TO the cell body. It breaks up into dendrites at the other end of it, it also has these things called Nissl's granules.

Whereas the axon is the part of the nerve cell that carries the impulse AWAY from the cell body, it breaks up into branches called telodendria and does not contain Nissl's granules.

You might notice that a motor neuron does not have a dendron because it's cell body is at one end of the neuron. Instead, the dendrites connect directly to the cell body rather than converging into a dendron.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 3

Original post by TrojanH

(...)
Anyone willing to clearly explain why the dendron is to the left of the sensory neurone body and the axon is to the right?

Sorry, have not seen your question below the picture. An axon is transferred the stimuli (also called nerves impulses) to the sensory cell, from the sensory cell the stimuli are transferred to the dendron where they break up into the dendrites, the 'branches' of a neuron (nerve cell). As the dendrites are connect with another neurons by synapses, the stimuli are transferred to neurons. That is why the dendron is to the left of the sensory neurone (= cell body) while the axon is to the right of it.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 4

TrojanH

OP

21

Original post by Laurasaur

They are called different things because there are subtle differences between them.

The dendron is the part of the nerve cell that carries the impulse TO the cell body. It breaks up into dendrites at the other end of it, it also has these things called Nissl's granules.

Whereas the axon is the part of the nerve cell that carries the impulse AWAY from the cell body, it breaks up into branches called telodendria and does not contain Nissl's granules.

You might notice that a motor neuron does not have a dendron because it's cell body is at one end of the neuron. Instead, the dendrites connect directly to the cell body rather than converging into a dendron.

Thanks but I know the different processes for each, axon carries signal away from cell body, and dendron to cell body, but how do you know which part is which if it asked me on a diagram? The part close to cell body would be dendron but on a sensory neurone the body is in the middle so how would I distinguish it from others?

Reply 5

ImNervous

2

Original post by TrojanH

Thanks but I know the different processes for each, axon carries signal away from cell body, and dendron to cell body, but how do you know which part is which if it asked me on a diagram? The part close to cell body would be dendron but on a sensory neurone the body is in the middle so how would I distinguish it from others?

It would normally show the direction that the impulse travels. Even if it doesn't, in a sensory nueron the axon is shorter than than the dendron. So the side that's shorter will probably be the axon.

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Reply 6

rpnom

2

Original post by TrojanH

Thanks but I know the different processes for each, axon carries signal away from cell body, and dendron to cell body, but how do you know which part is which if it asked me on a diagram? The part close to cell body would be dendron but on a sensory neurone the body is in the middle so how would I distinguish it from others?

The dendron would be the bit by the receptor cells and the axon would be the bit that leads into the spinal cord- that's how I do it anyway :redface:

There is only an axon on a sensory neurone

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 7

TrojanH

OP

21

Original post by rpnom

The dendron would be the bit by the receptor cells and the axon would be the bit that leads into the spinal cord- that's how I do it anyway :redface:

There is only an axon on a sensory neurone

Thanks very much guys!

Any of you doing OCR A2 F214/F215 Biology? Hit me up with some good revision links will you :biggrin:

Reply 8

Original post by Laurasaur

They are called different things because there are subtle differences between them.

The dendron is the part of the nerve cell that carries the impulse TO the cell body. It breaks up into dendrites at the other end of it, it also has these things called Nissl's granules.

Whereas the axon is the part of the nerve cell that carries the impulse AWAY from the cell body, it breaks up into branches called telodendria and does not contain Nissl's granules.
(...)

I am bit confused. Start with the axon, is it not vice versa? So that the axon carries the impulse to the cell body while the dendron carries it away from the cell body and thus to the dendrites? :hmmmm:

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 9

Asklepios

19

The dendrites/dendron are the INPUT to the cell body, and the axon is the OUTPUT. So in terms of transmission of the nervous impulse: dendrites --> (dendron) --> cell body --> axon --> synaptic terminal.

There is some anatomical variation in different types of neuron, but the general structure is the same:

Reply 10