Summary
This chapter gives an overview of the morphological features of neurones that distinguish them from other cells, allow them to carry out their unique function in the body. After a brief historical review, the peculiar nature of neuronal size and shape are considered, together with the consequences of this for neuronal classification, connectivity, excitability, intracellular transport and vulnerability to injury. This is followed by a description of the ways organelles are distributed and organised within neurones and the functional correlates of this. Finally, synaptic terminal structure is considered in the context of electrical and trophic interactions
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Kandel, E., Schwartz, J.H. & Jessel, T.M. (2000). Principles of neural science. London: McGraw-Hill.
Conradi, S. (1969). Ultrastructure and distribution neuronal and glial elements on the motoneuron surface in the lumbosacral spinal cord of the adult cat. Acta Physiologica. Scandinavica. (suppl.) 332: 5–48.
Craig, A.M. & Banker, G. (1994). Neuronal polarity. Annual Review of Neuroscience. 17: 267–310.
Foster, M. & Sherrington, C.S. (1897). A textbook of Physiology. Part III: The central nervous system. 7th ed., London: Macmillan.
Henneman, E. & Mendell, L.M. (1981). Functional organisation of motoneuron pools and its inputs. In Handbook of Physiology. Section. 1, Volume II, part 1 (Ed. J.M. Brookhart & V.B. Mountcastle), pp.423–507. Bethesda: Maryland. American Physiological Society.
Hering, H. & Sheng, M. (2001). Dendritic spines: structure, dynamics and regulation. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 2: 880–888.
Giuditta, A., Kaplan, B.B., Minnen, J.V., Alvarez, J. & Koenig, E. (2002). Axonal and presynaptic protein synthesis: new insights into the biology of the neuron. Trends in Neurosciences 25: 400–404.
Johnson, I.P. (1996). Target dependence of motoneurones. In: The neurobiology of disease: contributions from neuroscience to clinical neurology (Ed. H. Bostock, P. Kirkwood & A. Pulien), pp 379–394. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kandel, E.R., Schwartz, J.H. & Jessell, T.M. (2000). Principles of Neural Science, 4th ed. New York: McGraw Hill Company.
Mazzarello, P. (1999). A unifying concept: the history of cell theory. Nature Cell Biology 1: 13–15.
Novikoff, A.B. (1967). Enzyme localisation and ultrastructure of neurons. In: The Neuron (Ed. H. Hyden), pp. 255–318. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Palay, S. & Chan-Palay, V. (1977). General morphology of neurons and neuroglia. In: Handbook of Physiology, Section 1, Volume I. Part 1. (Ed. E.R. Kandel), pp.5–37. Bethesda. MD: American Physiological Society.
Peters, A., Palay, S.L. & Webster, H. deF. (1991). The fine structure of the nervous system. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Shea, T.B. & Flanagan, L.A. (2001). Kinesin, dynein and neurofilament transport. Trends in Neurosciences 24: 644–648.
Stuart, G., Spruston, N. & Hausser, M. (1999). Dendrites. Oxford: University Press.
Waxman, S.G., Kocsis, J.D. & Stys, P.K. (1995). The axon. Structure, function and pathophysiology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2004 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Johnson, I.P. (2004). Morphological Peculiarities of the Neuron. In: Herdegen, T., Delgado-García, J. (eds) Brain Damage and Repair. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-2541-6_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-2541-6_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-6538-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-2541-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive