aksonilla

An axon is a long, slender projection of a neuron that conducts electrical impulses away from the cell body toward other neurons, muscles, or glands. Most neurons have a single axon, which can be several millimeters to over a meter in length in humans.

Axons have a specialized cytoskeleton, membranes rich in voltage-gated ion channels, and a presynaptic terminal at the distal end where neurotransmitters are released. The axon initial segment near the cell body is the site where action potentials are generated.

Myelination increases conduction velocity. In the central nervous system, oligodendrocytes myelinate multiple axons; in the peripheral nervous system, Schwann cells wrap single axons. Myelin sheaths are interrupted at intervals by nodes of Ranvier, enabling saltatory conduction.

Axonal transport moves organelles and molecules along microtubules with motor proteins: kinesin carries cargo toward the axon terminal (anterograde), while dynein carries cargo back toward the cell body (retrograde).

Following injury, axons can degenerate distal to the site of damage (Wallerian degeneration). In the peripheral nervous system, axonal regeneration is possible under favorable conditions, aided by Schwann cells; central nervous system regeneration is limited by inhibitory cues.

In Finnish, the word aksoni denotes axon; aksonilla is the adessive form meaning "on the axon."