1-3. Neurons and Synapses

The concept of the “neuron” was established over a century ago as the unitary component of neuronal circuits. Ramón y Cajal (1852–1934), hereafter shortened to “Cajal,” presented clear evidence for this in 1888, when referring to the relationship between Purkinje and basket cells in the cerebellum (see below and Color Plate IV) (Lopez-Munoz et al., 2006). Heinrich von Waldeyer-Hartz (1836–1921) formally proposed the neuron theory in 1891. Also, near the end of the nineteenth century, Sherrington and Michael Foster (1836–1907) coined the term “synapse” and spotlighted it as a key structure of the CNS. Since then, neurons and synapses have been the major targets of neuroscience investigations. All neurons commonly have somata extruding axons....Hausser and Mel, 2003