Each neuron has three parts. The dendrites are treelike branches that receive input from other neurons. These dendrites lead into the cell body, which sustains the life of the cell and contains its DNA. Finally the axon is a living cable of varying lengths (from microscopic lengths in the brain, to some that can run down to the legs and reach up to six feet long). Axons are often compared to wires because they carry electrical impulses at very high speeds (from 2 to 200 miles per hour) toward the dendrites of neighboring neurons.
