cell body

noun

: the nucleus-containing central part of a neuron exclusive of its axons and dendrites that is the major structural element of the gray matter of the brain and spinal cord, the ganglia, and the retina see neuron illustration

Examples of cell body in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dormant NSCs in Drosophila have a protrusion that extends from the cell body; the researchers had recently demonstrated that the protrusion is enriched with actin microfilaments. —New Atlas, 15 Aug. 2024

Fascinatingly, a neuron’s cell body can measure a tenth of a millimeter across, while its axons can stretch more than 3 feet in length, as in the leg’s sciatic nerve. —Tony Dajer, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2024

When neurons fire, action potentials – brief, high-voltage spikes traveling outward from their cell bodies – set up local electrical activity in other neurons, causing current to flow within and outside them. —Giridhar Kalamangalam, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024

To visualize the elements that make up neurons—axons, dendrites, and cell bodies—Seung and Berger used a computer to draw 3-D surfaces around the neural structures found in the cube. —Danielle Egan, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

cell body

noun

: the central part of a neuron that includes the nucleus but not the axons and dendrites

Medical Definition

cell body

noun

: the nucleus-containing central part of a neuron exclusive of its axons and dendrites that is the major structural element of the gray matter of the brain and spinal cord, the ganglia, and the retina

called also perikaryon, soma