spine

Synapse

...y At a prototypical synapse, such as a dendritic spine , a mushroom-shaped bud projects from each of two cells and the caps of these buds press flat against one another. At this interface, the membranes of the two cells flank each other across a slender gap, the narrowness of which enables signalling...

Neuron

...e over a metre long, reaching from the base of the spine to the toes. Connectivity Neurons communicate with one another and to other cells through synapses , where the axon tip of one cell impinges upon a dendrite or soma of another, or less commonly to an axon. Neurons of the cortex in mammals , s...

Marfan syndrome

... produce other skeletal symptoms. Curvature of the spine ( scoliosis ) is a common problem, as is abnormal indentation ( pectus excavatum ) or protrusion ( pectus carinatum ) of the sternum . These symptoms may in turn cause unusual pressure on the heart and lungs. Other symptons include; abnormaljoint fl...

Kidney

Kidneys viewed from behind with spine removed The kidneys are bean -shaped excret...f the abdomen . There is one on each side of the spine just below the liver and spleen . Superior to each kidney is an adrenal gland (also called t...

Axon

...e sciatic nerve , which run from the base of the spine to the big toe of each foot. These single-cell fibers may extend a metre or even longer. In vertebrates generally, the axons of many neurons are sheathed in myelin , which is formed by either of two types of glial cells : Schwann cells en...