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In a neuron ,where is information received ,and through what the information travels as an impulse, and where does the impulse get converted into a chemical signal for outward transmission?

The somatic system is made up of two different types of neurons, which are also called nerve cells. The two types of neurons are sensory neurons, or afferent neurons, which transmit messages to the central nervous system, and motor neurons, also called efferent neurons, which relay information from the central nervous system to other areas of the body. A neuron has a body and an axon; the body of the neuron is located in the central nervous system, and the axon is imbedded in the skeletal muscles, sensory organs, or the skin.

The basic purpose of a neuron is to receive incoming information and, based upon that information, send a signal to other neurons, muscles, or glands. Neurons are designed to rapidly send signals across physiologically long distances. They do this using electrical signals called nerve impulses or action potentials . When a nerve impulse reaches the end of a neuron, it triggers the release of a chemical, or neurotransmitter. The neurotransmitter travels rapidly across the short gap between cells (the synapse) and acts to signal the adjacent cell.
 Communication by neurons can be divided into four major steps. First, a neuron receives information from the external environment or from other neurons. Second, the neuron integrates, or processes, the information from all of its inputs and determines whether or not to send an output signal. This integration takes place both in time (the duration of the input and the time between inputs) and in space (across the surface of the neuron). Third, the neuron propagates the signal along its length at high speed.Finally, the neuron converts this electrical signal to a chemical one and transmits it to another neuron or to an effector such as a muscle or gland.
When combined into networks, neurons allow the human body memory, emotion, and abstract thought as well as basic reflexes. The human brain contains an estimated one hundred billion neurons which relay, process, and store information. Neurons that lie entirely within the brain or spinal cord are referred to as interneurons and make up the central nervous system . Other neurons, receptors, and afferent (sensory) neurons are specialized to receive signals from within the body or from the external environment and to transmit that information to the central nervous system. Efferent neurons carry signals from the central nervous system to the effector organs (muscles and glands) of the body. If an efferent neuron is connected to a muscle, it is also called a motor neuron.


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