Neuron
The brain cell built for communication — the basic building block of every thought, feeling, and movement.
A brain cell specialised for carrying electrical and chemical signals. The basic building block of the nervous system. Each neuron has a cell body, dendrites (which receive signals), and an axon (which sends signals). The human brain contains roughly 86 billion neurons, each connected to thousands of others — forming the most complex network known to exist.
How it works
Your neurons receive signals through dendrites, process them in the cell body, and send them along axons to the next cell. Each neuron can connect to thousands of others, creating the vast network that makes you, you. You have roughly 86 billion of them.
Think of it like
It's like a tiny relay station that receives a message, decides whether to pass it on, and sends it racing down the line.
What it feels like
Every sensation, every memory, every decision is the work of these tiny cells talking to each other. You are a conversation between 86 billion neurons.