Structural classification Of Neurons

Structural classification Of Neurons

Different kinds of neurons:

1 Unipolar neuron

2 Bipolar neuron

3 Multipolar neuron

4 Pseudounipolar neuron

Most neurons can be anatomically characterized as:

Unipolar or pseudounipolar: dendrite and axon emerging from same process.

Bipolar: axon and single dendrite on opposite ends of the soma.

Multipolar: more than two dendrites:

Golgi I: neurons with long-projecting axonal processes; examples are pyramidal cells, Purkinje cells, and anterior horn cells.

Golgi II: neurons whose axonal process projects locally; the best example is the granule cell.

Other

Furthermore, some unique neuronal types can be identified according to their location in the nervous system and distinct shape. Some examples are:

Basket cells, interneurons that form a dense plexus of terminals around the soma of target cells, found in the cortex and cerebellum.

Betz cells, large motor neurons.

Medium spiny neurons, most neurons in the corpus striatum.

Purkinje cells, huge neurons in the cerebellum, a type of Golgi I multipolar neuron.

Pyramidal cells, neurons with triangular soma, a type of Golgi I.

Renshaw cells, neurons with both ends linked to alpha motor neurons.

Granule cells, a type of Golgi II neuron.

Anterior horn cells, motoneurons located in the spinal cord.

Spindle cells, interneurons that connect widely separated areas of the brain