Definition of axon
: a usually long and single nerve-cell process that usually conducts impulses away from the cell body — see neuron illustration
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One set of axons projected to the periacqueductal gray in the midbrain, an area involved in motor behaviors.
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Studies of the squid's giant axon helped spawn modern neuroscience decades ago, and the light organ of the bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes) powered a revolution in the study of symbiotic host-microbe interactions.
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The ragged extensions of an oligodendrocyte can supply many neurons (nerve cells) with myelin, an insulating material which allows each neuron's communicating axon to transmit electrical impulses efficiently.
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The axon from one spinal cord motor neuron branches and makes a small cluster of muscle fibers contract together.
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Along with blood vessel damage, injury to axons is what leaves us with lingering symptoms.
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Second, the electrical signals those cells generate flow through neurons in one direction: branching dendrites receive the pulse, pass it to the main cell body and then along their axons—long projections that can connect distant parts of the brain.
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As the brain develops, myelin wraps itself around nerve cells’ axons—long, thin tendrils that extend from the cell and transmit information—like insulation on an electrical wire.
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Besides bruising and swelling, researchers believe that force can cause the brain to elongate, stretching nerve cells and their axons — fiber-like parts that transmit messages between cells.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'axon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of axon
New Latin axon, from Greek axōn
AXON Defined for Kids
Definition of axon for Students
: a long fiber that carries impulses away from a nerve cell
Medical Dictionary
Illustration of axon
Learn More about axon
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See words that rhyme with axon Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about axon
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