Basic Neurobiology of Huntington’s Disease
Part 1

What happens in the brain following the onset of HD?

What is a nerve cell?

Each human body contains many different kinds of cells – liver cells, kidney cells, heart cells, nerve cells, and so on. The brain and nervous system are made up of a large number of one of these cell types—the nerve cell. The nerve cell, also called a neuron, is unique in its structure and function. The figure below shows what a typical nerve cell looks like. It has a main area called the nerve cell body, where most of the component parts of the cell, called organelles, are found. Among these organelles are the nucleus, where the DNA is packaged (see Introduction to DNA and Chromosomes), and the mitochondria, which supply the cell’s energy, as well as a whole bunch of other parts the cell needs in order to function. The cell body is covered with tiny projections that receive input in the form of impulses from other nerve cells. Impulses are merely messages that are transmitted as electrical signals from one nerve cell to another. There is also a larger projection called the axon that transmits impulses from one part of the nervous system to another.

Last Modified: 9-16-02

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