= Soma
{disambiguate=biology}
{wiki}
= Soma
{synonym}
= Cell body
{synonym}
The <soma> is a <neuron>'s <cell> body, containing its <cell nucleus> and much of the machinery for <translation> and <metabolism>. <Dendrites> and the <axon> extend from, or are connected to, this central compartment. The <soma> also receives <synapses> and participates electrically in <synaptic integration>.<Anatomy and Physiology 2e by J. Gordon Betts and others/12.2 Nervous Tissue>[Parts of a Neuron]{ref}
A voltage recorded at the <soma> is a local measurement. In an extended <neuron>, cable properties and active <ion channels> can make the simultaneous <membrane potential> in a distant <dendrite> different.
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