Neurons:
 

Drawing of a (pyramidal) nerve cell

Neurons, or nerve cells, are the basic structural and functional units of the nervous system.  Although nerve cells resemble other cells of the body, nerve cells are specialized to facilitate communication between neurons.

Neurons consist of three main parts:  the cell body, dendrites, and an axon.

neuron = cell body + dendrites + axon

The dendrites radiate out from the cell body.  They are specialized for receiving information from other neurons.  Dendrites act like antennae for nerve cells.

The axon generally carries nerve impulses away from the cell body.  Usually only one axon sprouts off of the cell body, but it may have many branches.  Axons convey information from one part of the brain to antoher.  They may be up to a meter (approximately a yard) long.

The drawing below shows the major parts of a nerve cell.
 

Drawing showing major parts of a nerve cell

For more detailed information about neurons, types of neurons, and parts of neurons, visit the following Website:

Types of Neurons (Nerve Cells) - beautifully organized and illustrated information presented by Eric Chudler. Be sure to check out the links when you visit this Web page http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/cells.html