Term: neuron dendritic spine
Note: This page represents a term created by the combination ("post-composition") of two ontology terms. For more information on the individual terms, click the hyperlinked name.
Name: neuron
Synonyms:
Definition: The basic cellular unit of nervous tissue. Each neuron consists of a body, an axon, and dendrites. Their purpose is to receive, conduct, and transmit impulses in the nervous system.
Ontology: Anatomy Ontology [ZFA:0009248]
Name: dendritic spine
Synonyms: branched dendritic spine, dendrite spine, mushroom dendritic spine, sessile dendritic spine, stubby dendritic spine, thin dendritic spine
Definition: A small, membranous protrusion from a dendrite that forms a postsynaptic compartment, typically receiving input from a single presynapse. They function as partially isolated biochemical and an electrical compartments. Spine morphology is variable:they can be thin, stubby, mushroom, or branched, with a continuum of intermediate morphologies. They typically terminate in a bulb shape, linked to the dendritic shaft by a restriction. Spine remodeling is though to be involved in synaptic plasticity.
Ontology: GO: Cellular Component [GO:0043197]    QuickGO    AmiGO