• There are three main types of neurone:?sensory, relay and motor
  • Sensory?neurones carry impulses?from sense organs to the CNS?(brain or spinal cord)
  • Relay?neurones are found inside the CNS and?connect sensory and motor neurones
  • Motor?neurones carry impulses?from the CNS to effectors?(muscles or glands)

   

• Neurones have a long fibre (axon)
• This means that less time is wasted transferring the impulse from one cell to another
• The axon is insulated by a fatty sheath with small uninsulated sections along it (called nodes)
• This means that the electrical impulse does not travel down the whole axon, but?jumps from one node to the next
• Their cell body contains many extensions called?dendrites
• This means they can?connect to many other neurones?and receive impulses from them, forming a network for easy communication

Identifying the types of neurone:

The three types of neurone

• Sensory neurones are?long?and have a?cell body branching off the middle of the axon
• Relay neurones are?short?and have a?small cell body at one end?with many dendrites branching off it
• Motor neurones are?long?and have a?large cell body at one end with long dendrites branching off it