Neurons
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Neurons are nerve cells. They are the microscopic building blocks, the functional units, of the nervous system (Farley et al, 2014). The neurons are linked to form extensive interconnected networks to join all parts of the nervous system. The neuron generates and transmits information throughout the body with a nerve impulse (Roca, & Serrano, 1996). Nerve impulses travel along the neurons in the network at speeds of 260 miles per hour. There are about 10 billion neurons in the body, and they vary in size tremendously. Some are the longest known cells at three feet in length while others are so short that lining up hundreds of them end to end would not be as wide as the head of a pin. The majority of neurons do not divide or replace themselves if damaged. They last a lifetime and are the oldest cells in the body (Farley et al., 2014) (Roca & Serrano, 1996) (Olesky, 2001) (Parker, 1997) (Walker & Wood, 2003).
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