How long can an axon get

Early progenitor cells can self-renew or go in either of two ways. One type will give rise to astrocytes. The other type will ultimately produce neurons or oligodendrocytes. Not all neurons are successful in their journey.

Scientists think that only a third reach their destination. Some cells die during the process of neuronal development. Mutations in the genes that control migration create areas of misplaced or oddly formed neurons that can cause disorders such as childhood epilepsy. Some researchers suspect that schizophrenia and the learning disorder dyslexia are partly the result of misguided neurons.

Once a neuron reaches its destination, it has to settle in to work. This final step of differentiation is the least well-understood part of neurogenesis. Neurons are responsible for the transport and uptake of neurotransmitters - chemicals that relay information between brain cells. Depending on its location, a neuron can perform the job of a sensory neuron, a motor neuron, or an interneuron, sending and receiving specific neurotransmitters.

In the developing brain, a neuron depends on molecular signals from other cells, such as astrocytes, to determine its shape and location, the kind of transmitter it produces, and to which other neurons it will connect. These freshly born cells establish neural circuits - or information pathways connecting neuron to neuron - that will be in place throughout adulthood.

But in the adult brain, neural circuits are already developed and neurons must find a way to fit in. As a new neuron settles in, it starts to look like surrounding cells. It develops an axon and dendrites and begins to communicate with its neighbors. Although neurons are the longest living cells in the body, large numbers of them die during migration and differentiation.

The lives of some neurons can take abnormal turns. Some diseases of the brain are the result of the unnatural deaths of neurons.

This causes difficulty initiating movement. As a result, people twist and writhe uncontrollably. When these neurons die, people lose their capacity to remember and their ability to do everyday tasks.

Physical damage to the brain and other parts of the central nervous system can also kill or disable neurons. Scientists have now identified a protein that regulates the growth of However, long before the cells die, they lose contact with the muscles as their axons atrophy.

Researchers have now devised However, these cells differ considerably in their quality and produce varying results. New research in mice They studies the Mauthner cells, which are solely Using a novel technique, researchers have been able What Makes Us Human?

Stem cell researchers have now found a previously overlooked Research that involves QBI scientists has also showed that severed neurons in roundworms C. This process was able to be modified by the researchers, giving hope for treating nerve injuries in humans in the future.

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Site search Search Menu. Axons: the cable transmission of neurons. Home The Brain Brain anatomy. Axons and nerve degeneration Neurons cannot properly communicate if axons are damaged or broken.