Which structure conducts electrical impulses away from the soma?

Which structure conducts electrical impulses away from the soma?

• A. Dendrites
• B. Myelin sheath
• C. Axon
• D. Soma

Answer: (C)

The key idea is how neurons transmit signals in a specific direction. Dendrites receive inputs and bring them toward the cell body, so they convey signals toward the soma. The axon, on the other hand, carries the electrical impulse away from the soma after a threshold is reached at the axon hillock, traveling to synapses to influence other cells. The myelin sheath speeds up this transmission along the axon, but it isn’t the structure that moves impulses away; it’s the axon itself. The soma acts as the neuron's metabolic and integrative center, not as the primary pathway for sending impulses outward. Therefore, the axon is the structure that conducts electrical impulses away from the soma.

The key idea is how neurons transmit signals in a specific direction. Dendrites receive inputs and bring them toward the cell body, so they convey signals toward the soma. The axon, on the other hand, carries the electrical impulse away from the soma after a threshold is reached at the axon hillock, traveling to synapses to influence other cells. The myelin sheath speeds up this transmission along the axon, but it isn’t the structure that moves impulses away; it’s the axon itself. The soma acts as the neuron's metabolic and integrative center, not as the primary pathway for sending impulses outward. Therefore, the axon is the structure that conducts electrical impulses away from the soma.