Question

Which of the following correctly describes the path of the electrochemical signal through a single neuron as it is received, then processed, then relayed down the length of the neuron?

A) Cell body → dendrite → axon
B) Dendrite → cell body → axon
C) Cell body → axon → dendrite
D) Axon → cell body → dendri

Answer 1

The electrochemical signal in a neuron flows from the dendrites to the cell body, then down the axon. The dendrites receive the signal, the cell body processes it, and the axon transmits it.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct path that an electrochemical signal follows through a single neuron, from reception to transmission, is as follows: it starts at the dendrites, moves to the cell body (also known as the soma), and then travels down the axon to reach the axon terminals and synapse with the next cell.

A neuron receives input through the dendrites, which relay the signal to the cell body. The cell body contains the nucleus and integrates multiple signals. When the signal is strong enough, it is conducted down the axon as an action potential. This is a self-propagating reversal of the resting membrane potential that moves along the axon to eventually reach the axon terminals and transfer the signal to another neuron or effector cell.