Aksonale

Aksonale is an adjective used in some languages to describe features related to axons, the long projections of neurons that transmit electrical impulses. The term is derived from the Greek axon, meaning “axis,” with a suffix that forms adjectives; in English the corresponding form is axonal.

Use of aksonale appears mainly in non-English neuroanatomical literature, where it functions similarly to the English term axonal. It may describe axon-specific structures (such as parts of the axon shaft or axonal boutons) or processes (for example, aksonal transport or aksonal injury). The English standard term is axonal.

An axon extends from the neuron’s soma and can be myelinated, with myelin sheaths increasing the speed of impulse conduction. The axonal cytoskeleton, consisting of microtubules and neurofilaments, supports shape and transport. Axonal transport moves organelles and signaling molecules between the cell body and synapses via distinct motor systems: anterograde transport (typically kinesin-powered) and retrograde transport (dynein-powered).

Pathological changes affecting axons include injury, transection, and degeneration. Wallerian degeneration describes the distal portion of a severed axon undergoing degeneration after injury, while impaired axonal transport and axonal swellings are features in several neurodegenerative conditions.

See also: axon, axonal transport, myelination, Wallerian degeneration.