What are the different types of neurones in the body?

A neurone is a special type of cell in the body which transmits electrical impulses.

Neurones can be classified into different types based on the information they receive and pass on. The 3 main types of neurone are:

• Sensory neurone

• Relay neurone

• Motor neurone

Sensory neurones react to a stimulus in the environment. A stimulus (such as heat, cold or touch) is detected by a receptor, which sends this sensory information along a sensory neurone to the Central Nervous System (CNS) which consists of the brain and spinal cord. For example when touching a hot pan, this is detected by a heat receptor, and an electrical impulse is passed along a sensory neurone to the CNS.

Relay neurones receive information from one neurone in the CNS and pass it on to another. For example a relay neuron may receive the electrical impulse about the hot pan from the sensory neuron and then pass it on to another neurone.

Motor neurones receive information from the CNS and pass it on to an effector (a muscle or a gland) to produce a response. For example a motor neuron may receive the electrical impulse about the hot pan from the relay neurone in the CNS and then pass it on to a muscle in your arm causing you to pull your hand away from the pan!