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Nerve cells. Computer illustration of two nerve cells, or neurons, (one magenta and one blue). Neurons are responsible for passing information around the central nervous system (CNS) and from the CNS to the rest of the body. Each nerve cell comprises a body surrounded by numerous extensions called dendrites. Dendrites collect information from other nerve cells or from sensory cells. Each neuron also has one process called an axon, which passes information to other nerve cells, or to effector cells such as muscle fibres. Nerve cells connect at junctions called chemical synapses and form a neural network. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/LAGUNA DESIGN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)