

This is the difference between axons and dendrites. The nerve signals received by sensory organs are passed on to the cell body. Dendrites are involved in transmitting nerve impulses towards the cell body.

These signals are passed on to effector cells such as muscles and glands. The axons involve in taking nerve impulses away from the cell body. The neuron is the main structural and functional unit of the nervous system. Myelin sheath may be or may not be present in axons.īranching points of axons branch away from the cell body.īranching points of dendrites branch closer to the cell body.Īxons and dendrites are important structures found in a neuron. One neuron has multiple projections of dendrites. The dendrites are the short extensions that pass nerve impulses towards the cell body.Īxons are a long thin process of uniform thickness and smoothness.ĭendrites are short processes, thickness diminishes, and the branches are studded with spiny projections. The axon is the long extension of the neuron that passes nerve impulses away from the cell body. Therefore it acts as an insulator for the nerve impulse transmission

Myelination increases the speed of nerve impulse transmission. Axons can further be myelinated or non-myelinated. A myelin sheath encases axons, and there are Schwann cells located on the myelin sheath. Each neuron has a single axon, although an axon may also branch to stimulate some cells. It passes nerve impulses away from the cell body to effectors located in muscles and glands. Side by Side Comparison – Axons vs Dendrites in Tabular FormĪxon is a long cytoplasmic extension arising from the cell body of the neuron. Similarities Between Axons and Dendritesĥ. Therefore, the functions of axon and dendrites occur upon the direction in which the nerve impulse is transmitted.Ĥ. All neurons are composed of a cell body that does all the functions and cytoplasmic extensions that can either be axons or dendrites. Neurons are of three main types motor neuron, sensory neuron and interneuron. Dendrites branch as they move towards their tips, just like tree branches do, and they even have leaf-like structures on them called spines. Axon passes nerve impulses away from the cell body while dendrites pass nerve impulses towards the cell body. The key difference between axon and dendrites is the function of these two types of cytoplasmic extensions of the neuron.
