Dendrites (from
Greek δένδρον
déndron, "tree") (also
dendron) are the branched projections of a
neuron that act to propagate the
electrochemical stimulation received from other neural cells to the cell body, or
soma, of the neuron from which the dendrites project. Electrical stimulation is transmitted onto dendrites by upstream neurons (usually their
axons) via
synapses which are located at various points throughout the dendritic tree. Dendrites play a critical role in integrating these
synaptic inputs and in determining the extent to which
action potentials are produced by the neuron.