Neurons are specialized nerve cells that have a shape unique for the transmission of nerve impulses. Impulses have both an electrical and chemical component. On one end of the neuron are dendrites. When stimulated, they begin the nerve impulse. It travels through the cyton or cell body as an electrical signal, through the axon(which is long) to the terminal branches. Here, the terminal branches release neurotransmitters which are chemicals. These travel across the synapse or gap, to the next neuron or target cell in the pathway. Examples of neurotransmitters are acetylcholine and norepinephrine. There are many others that are divided into categories like amino acids, peptides, and monoamines. Some neurotransmitters are excitatory and some are inhibitory.
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