What is the main function of the axon?

What is the main function of the axon?

• A. Conducts electrical impulses away from the cell body
• B. Integrates signals
• C. Produces Neurotransmitters
• D. Houses Nucleus

Answer: (A)

The axon’s job is to carry the electrical signal away from the cell body. When a neuron fires, an action potential is initiated at the axon hillock and travels down the length of the axon to the synaptic terminals. This electrical impulse moves like a wave along the axon, and its speed is increased by the myelin sheath and by saltatory conduction at the gaps (nodes of Ranvier). At the end of the axon, the impulse triggers the release of neurotransmitters into the synapse, influencing the next cell. Signals are actually integrated primarily in the dendrites and the soma, not along the axon, and the nucleus sits in the cell body. Neurotransmitter production occurs mainly in the soma, with packaging and release happening at the terminals. So the axon’s main function is to transmit the signal from the cell body to the next neuron or effector.

The axon’s job is to carry the electrical signal away from the cell body. When a neuron fires, an action potential is initiated at the axon hillock and travels down the length of the axon to the synaptic terminals. This electrical impulse moves like a wave along the axon, and its speed is increased by the myelin sheath and by saltatory conduction at the gaps (nodes of Ranvier). At the end of the axon, the impulse triggers the release of neurotransmitters into the synapse, influencing the next cell. Signals are actually integrated primarily in the dendrites and the soma, not along the axon, and the nucleus sits in the cell body. Neurotransmitter production occurs mainly in the soma, with packaging and release happening at the terminals. So the axon’s main function is to transmit the signal from the cell body to the next neuron or effector.