Most neurons have a lot of dendrites and only have one axon. Generally, dendrites receive neuron signals, and axons transmit them. What is the difference between dendrites and axon terminal?ĭendrites receive electrochemical impulses from other neurons, and carry them inwards and towards the soma, while axons carry the impulses away from the soma. 8 What is the difference between axon and dendron?.7 What is the defferente between a dendrite and an axon?.5 How do axons and dendrites work together in the brain?.4 What is the function of axon and dendrites?.2 What is the relationship between axons and dendrites?.1 What is the difference between dendrites and axon terminal?.“Neuron Part 1” By BruceBlaus – Own work (CC BY-SA 4. “Myelin sheath (1)” By Ralph Walterberg – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons WikimediaĢ. 2017.Ģ.“Dendrite.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Sept. Reference:ġ.“ Axon.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Sept. Therefore, the main difference between axon and dendrite is the direction of the transmission of nerve impulses. Axons transmit nerve impulses away from the cell body, and dendrites transmit nerve impulses towards the cell body. Some axons are myelinated to speed up the transmission of nerve impulses. The diameter of an axon is uniform while dendrites consist of tapering ends. Both axons and dendrites transmit nerve impulses. ConclusionĪxon and dendrite are the two types of projections of a nerve cell. Afferent/EfferentĪxon:Axons form the efferent component of the nerve impulse.ĭendrite: Dendrite form the afferent component of the nerve impulse. Direction of the TransmissionĪxon: Axons carry nerve impulses away from the cell body.ĭendrite:Dendrites carry nerve impulses towards the cell body. Myelinated/Non-myelinatedĪxon:Axons can be either myelinated or non-myelinated.ĭendrite:Dendrites are non-myelinated. Nissl’s GranulesĪxon:Axons do not contain Nissl’s granules.ĭendrite: Dendrites contain Nissl’s granules. VesiclesĪxon:The synaptic knobs of the axons contain vesicles with neurotransmitters.ĭendrite:Dendrites do not have vesicles that contain neurotransmitters. Synaptic KnobsĪxon:The tips of the terminal branches of the axon are enlarged to form synaptic knobs.ĭendrite: No synaptic knobs occur at the tips of the branches of the dendrites. Branchingĭendrite:Dendrites are branched all along. Diameterĭendrite: Dendrites have tapering ends therefore diameter continuously decreases. LengthĪxon: Axons are very long (several meters).ĭendrite: Dendrites are very short (around 1.5 mm). OriginĪxon: An axon arises from a conical projection called axon hillock.ĭendrite:Dendrites arise directly from the nerve cell. Numberĭendrite:A nerve cell has many dendrites. Both axon and dendrite contain neurofibrils.ĭifference Between Axon and Dendrite DefinitionĪxon:Axon is the long thread-like part of a nerve cell which conducts nerve impulses away from the cell body.ĭendrite: Dendrite is the short branched extension of a nerve cell, which transmits nerve impulses to the cell body from synapses.Both axon and dendrite are branched structures.Both axon and dendrite transmit nerve impulses.Both axon and dendrite are projections of the cell body of a nerve cell.Since dendrites are short projections, they are not myelinated. A cross-section of an axon is shown in figure 1.ĭendrites possess tapering ends. The axon hillock is the initial segment of an axon. Vesicles that contain neurotransmitters are present in the axon terminals to transmit the nerve impulses by means of chemical signals through the synaptic gap. The membrane of the axon terminal is linked to the membrane of the target cell. The axon terminals form the synaptic connection with a dendron of another neuron or with an effector organ. The axon terminals are the swollen ends of the telodendria.

The tips of the branched ends are formed by telodendria. Axons are branched at their terminal ends. The membrane that covers the axon is called the axolemma. Axons carry nerve impulses away from the cell body. Key Terms: Axon, Axon Hillock, Cell Body, Dendrites, Myelin, Myelinated Nerve Fibers, Nerve Cells, Non-Myelinated Nerve FibersĪn axon is single, long projection of a nerve cell. What is the Difference Between Axon and Dendrite What are the Similarities Between Axon and DendriteĤ. The main difference between axon and dendrite is that axon carries nerve impulses away from the cell body whereas dendrites carry nerve impulses from synapses to the cell body. The short structures that extend from the cell body are called dendrites. An axon is a long conical prolongation of the cell body of the nerve cell. They transmit nerve impulses to the brain, spinal cord, and to the body to coordinate the functions of the body. Nerve cells are the structural and functional units of the nervous system of animals. Axon and dendrite are two components of nerve cells.

Difference between axon and dendrite