Cell body of a Neuron

The cell body (soma) of a neuron contains the nucleus and other cellular components, such as nucleolus, ribosomes, lysosomes, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, endosomes, and peroxisomes embedded in the cytoplasm. Along with its processes, the cell body is covered by an excitable cell membrane. Several cytoplasmic processes extend from the soma, such as dendrites and the axon. The axon hillock is a specialized part of the soma, where the axon arises from the cell body. The signals from the dendrites are joined in the cell body and then passed on to the axon. However, the axon hillock will only let certain signals through that have reached the threshold potential.