17 Most Interesting Neuron Facts

Neuron is an animal cell that communicates with other cells. These cells create nervous tissue. Except for sponges and placozoa, all animals have neurons. Spanish neuroscientist and a pioneer of modern neuroscience Santiago Ramón y Cajal discovered these cells for the first time in 1888. Cajal's theory of the Neuron Doctrine suggested a large number of individual nerve cells. For this amazing discovery, he was awarded the 1906 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.

Neurons are responsible for all our sensory capabilities. A neuron is the unit of our nervous system. They are generally classified in sensory, motor, Interneurons, and Neurons in the brain. They have different duties to fulfill. A typical neuron cell usually consists of three parts a cell body, dendrites, and one single axon. The cell body is known as soma. Dendrites and the axon extrude from the soma. Both these parts transmit signals across the synapse to another cell.

Neurons play a vital role in the life of an animal. They help to identify senses and things. The learning process is closely related to them. The synapses of the neurons trigger every stimulus from our Perceptual system. Based on these triggers we make decisions and our brain orders our organs. They are the fundamental unit of our brain and nervous system. These are some neuron facts :

Human brain contains 100 billion neurons. Each of them creates 7,000 synaptic connections with other cells.

Sensory neurons collect stimulus like taste, smell, hear, vision, and feeling about things.

Motor Neuron conducts voluntary and involuntary muscle operations.

Interneurons are the most common type of nerve cells. They perform complex physical duties.

Most animals are born with all the neurons they will need in life. When the human brain is under development 2,50,00 of these cells are added in every minute.

Einstein is known to have more cells in the brain than most of us. But those extra tissues were mostly glial cells, not neurons.

The brain of an elephant has the highest number of nerve tissues. They are consist of 257 billion neurons.

The Etruscan shrew has the lowest number of neural cells among all animals. these tiny animals have only around 1 million neurons in their brain.

Everyday we lose cells from our body. It is a regular process. We lose around 2,00,000 neurons every day.

Each part of our brain has neurons with unique shapes. These different forms are caused by their different duties.

According to axons and dendrite neurons are classified as Multipolar, Bipolar, and Unipolar.

Nerve cells are grouped into two broad classes. Those are the Golgi Type I and Golgi Type II.

Most neurons have dendrites extend from the cell body. There are around 5–7 dendrites per neuron. Some nerve-cells like the Pseudo-unipolar neurons don't have them.

There are ions in our brains. The neural cells conduct electrical impulses by using the Action Potential.

There are five different types of ion channels in the neuron membranes. Those are the Leak channels, Voltage-sensitive channels, Ligand-sensitive channels, Electrogenic pumps, Mechanosensitive channel.

Neurons are known to respond to chemicals released at synaptic spaces.

These are all we have on the Neurons today. Thank you for reading.