Axon

An axon is a neuronal projection that carries electrical signals away from the cell body toward other cells. It can branch and form specialized endings that communicate with target cells.

Action potential: A rapid, temporary change in a cell membrane’s voltage that propagates along excitable cells. This traveling voltage change carries signals along the axon.
Neuron: An electrically excitable cell that receives, processes, and transmits information. The axon is one of a neuron's principal structural regions.
Motor neuron: A neuron that carries commands from the nervous system to muscles or other effectors. Its axon delivers signals that can produce muscle contraction.
Axon guidance: The process by which growing axons navigate toward appropriate targets during nervous-system development. Developing axons must find specific destinations to establish useful connections.
Voltage-gated sodium channel: A membrane protein that opens in response to voltage changes, allowing sodium ions to cross the membrane. Its opening helps initiate and propagate action potentials in axonal membranes.
Cell body: The part of a cell containing its nucleus and much of its biosynthetic machinery. An axon extends from the neuronal cell body.
Sensory neuron: A neuron that conveys information about sensory stimuli toward the central nervous system. Its axon carries sensory signals toward central neural circuits.
Growth cone: A motile structure at a growing axon's tip that senses environmental cues and directs extension. Its decisions determine the path taken by a developing axon.
Myelin: An insulating, lipid-rich covering formed around many nerve fibers by glial cells. It speeds axonal conduction by limiting current loss between exposed membrane regions.
Axon hillock: The cone-shaped region where a neuron's cell body narrows into its axon. This region commonly leads into the axon and helps initiate action potentials.

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