aksoner

Aksoner are the long, slender projections of neurons that conduct electrical impulses away from the cell body toward synapses on other neurons, muscle cells, or glands. Most neurons possess a single akson, which can extend from a few micrometers to over a meter in humans. The axon transports signals and organelles between the soma and synaptic terminals via specialized cytoskeletal elements and motor proteins.

Axons are often insulated by myelin, produced by oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system and by Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system. Myelination speeds conduction, and the membrane is interrupted by nodes of Ranvier where ion channels are concentrated, enabling saltatory conduction. Axon diameter and the degree of myelination influence conduction velocity.

During development, aksoner grow from growth cones guided by a variety of molecular cues. In adulthood, axonal transport moves cargo along the axon using motor proteins: kinesin drives anterograde transport toward the nerve terminal, while dynein handles retrograde transport toward the cell body. At synapses, the axon terminal releases neurotransmitters to propagate signals to target cells.

Damage to aksoner can lead to functional deficits. Distal to an injury, Wallerian degeneration may occur, and regeneration is more robust in the peripheral nervous system than in the central nervous system due to environmental and cellular factors. Clinically, axonal pathology is involved in many conditions, including neuropathies, demyelinating diseases, and various neurodegenerative disorders.