ABSTRACT
NEURONS The neuron is the excitable cell type responsible for the reception of stimuli and information, and conduction of electro-chemical impulses in the brain, spinal cord and ganglia. Neurons are 10-50 times less numerous than their supporting cells, the neuroglial astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and ependymal cells,27 and are estimated to constitute only 5 per cent of the cells within the cerebral grey matter.56 Yet they are responsible for the most critical and complex (arguably defining) cellular functions of the organ. They also undergo the greatest number of microscopic changes in response to acute and chronic cell injury and are the principal site of damage for several of the diseases associated with the highest morbidity and mortality in our society, i.e. cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.
