Which term refers to the many nerve cells that connect and conduct messages as small electrical pulses in the nervous system?

• A. Nerve impulses
• B. Nervous tissue
• C. Glial cells
• D. Nerve cells

Answer: (D)

Neurons, or nerve cells, are the signaling units of the nervous system. They connect with other neurons and with muscles or glands, and they conduct information as electrical impulses. The term nerve impulses refers to the signals themselves, not the cells that produce them. Nervous tissue is the overall tissue made up of neurons plus supporting glial cells, while glial cells provide support and insulation but aren’t the primary conductors of messages. So the many nerve cells that connect and carry these messages are nerve cells (neurons).