Neurons
Neurons are the brain's electrical signaling cells that process information and control body functions, forming the vast networks behind every thought and action.
Neurons are specialized cells in the nervous system that transmit electrical and chemical signals to process information, control body functions, and enable cognition. They consist of a cell body, dendrites that receive signals, and an axon that sends them to other neurons or tissues. As the fundamental units of the brain, they form vast networks essential for everything from reflexes to complex thought.
What this means in real life
When you touch a hot stove, sensory neurons instantly detect heat and send a signal to your spinal cord, which relays it to motor neurons that contract your muscles to pull your hand away—all before your brain consciously registers pain.
What it isn’t
Not simply wires or cables. Neurons are living cells with complex internal structures and chemistry; they don't conduct electricity like copper wire, but rather generate and propagate electrical signals through biological processes.
Commonly misused online
Often described as 'firing' or 'lighting up' in pop-science posts, implying they work like light switches. In reality, neuronal activity is a graded, continuous process involving precise chemical and electrical dynamics, not simple on-off states.