Neuron

Neuron #

Sensory neurons -> interneurons -> motor neurons.
- Sensory neurons look like the typical example, while interneurons are highly branched: some neurons can receive input from tens of thousands of synapses.
The neurons that carry info in and out of the CNS make up the PNS.
Glia nourish neurons, insulate axons, and regulate the surrounding extracellular fluid, but they can also transmit information themselves.
Presynaptic cells are the transmitting end, postsynaptic the receiving end, which can be a neuron, muscle, or gland cell.
Dendrites and the cell body receive signals from other neurons via synapses, which join to make a synaptic terminal.

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Axons can get really long, even exceeding a meter. Axons in the CNS are sometimes known as tracts. In the Peripheral Nervous System, they are known as Nerves. Synapses can also be present at axons or somas. Not just other dendrites.
Somas in the CNS are known as nuclei. In the PNS, it is a Ganglion, especially when they are a collection.
Neurite imaging reveals microstructural variations in human cerebral cortical gray matter:

180 1. Unipolar (rare af) 2. bipolar 3. multipolar 4. psuedounipolar. Also anaxonic and stuff. And autapic: synapsing on itself.

But I’m here for this list:
- Purkinje Cells: GABAergic cerebellum neurons. Amongst the largest.
- Stellate Cells are mainly characterized as GABArgic interneurons in the cerebellum. But in other areas can be glutamatergic
- Granule Cells: Diverse; depends on area.
- Pyramidal Neurons: Glutamatergic - all around the forebrain.
- Medium Spiny Neuron: GABAergic striatal.
- Basket Cells
- Martinotti Cells
- and quite a few more… Interneurons are usually GABAergic, but not always. Can use Glu, DA, ACh, proteins (I think) etc. The Cerebellum has a pretty complex ‘microcircuitry’ of like 10 cell types…
Brain Cell Type Specific Gene Expression and Co-expression Network Architectures
- Blog post by the main author: https://andrewtmckenzie.com/neuron-typing