What is the first part of a nerve cell that receives the nervous impulse called?

The first part of a nerve cell that receives a nervous impulse is called the dendrite. Dendrites are specialized structures that extend from the neuron’s cell body and are responsible for receiving signals from other nerve cells. They play a critical role in the communication between neurons by collecting information and passing it along to the cell body for processing. When neurotransmitters are released from other neurons, they bind to receptors on the dendrites, leading to changes in the electrical potential of the neuron and potentially initiating an action potential if the signal is strong enough.

The axon, while essential for transmitting impulses away from the cell body to other neurons or muscles, is not the part that initially receives the impulse. The soma, or cell body, contains the nucleus and organelles of the neuron but does not directly interact with incoming signals; its role is more about integrating the received information. A neuron is the overall cell that includes both the soma, axon, and dendrites, rather than being a specific structure involved in impulse reception. Hence, the correct identification of the dendrite as the receiving part is fundamental to understanding the functioning of the nervous system.