Chemical Messengers

The nervous system consists of nerve cells, called neurons, and support cells that provide structure and produce myelin.

A neuron's body is covered with branchlike structures, called dendrites, which receive messages from other cells.

Each cell also has a long, tail-like structure, called an axon, which sends messages to other nerve cells or directly to organs.

All of these messages are carried by neurotransmitters, chemicals produced in axons, which navigate tiny gap between nerve cells, known as the synaptic cleft.

Neurons never touch each other. At any moment, even in deep sleep, a cat's nervous system is sending and receiving vast numbers of messages. Any cell commonly us messages to thousands of other cells.