A nerve cell is called a

A nerve cell is called a

• A. Neurotransmitter
• B. White matter
• C. Peripheral nervous system
• D. Neuron

Answer: (D)

Nerve cells are the basic signaling units of the nervous system. A neuron is a specialized cell that receives signals through its dendrites, processes them in the cell body, and passes them on as an electrical impulse along the axon. At the end of the axon, the signal is often transmitted to the next cell via a chemical messenger called a neurotransmitter. This combination of electrical signaling and chemical communication is what allows rapid, coordinated activity throughout the body. The other terms describe different things. A neurotransmitter is the chemical that carries signals across synapses, not the cell itself. White matter is a region composed mainly of myelinated axons, not a single nerve cell. The peripheral nervous system refers to the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, rather than to the cell type itself. Neurons can be found in both the central and peripheral nervous systems.

Nerve cells are the basic signaling units of the nervous system. A neuron is a specialized cell that receives signals through its dendrites, processes them in the cell body, and passes them on as an electrical impulse along the axon. At the end of the axon, the signal is often transmitted to the next cell via a chemical messenger called a neurotransmitter. This combination of electrical signaling and chemical communication is what allows rapid, coordinated activity throughout the body.

The other terms describe different things. A neurotransmitter is the chemical that carries signals across synapses, not the cell itself. White matter is a region composed mainly of myelinated axons, not a single nerve cell. The peripheral nervous system refers to the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, rather than to the cell type itself. Neurons can be found in both the central and peripheral nervous systems.