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HistologyTypes of tissuesNervous tissueAxon hillock
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HistologyTypes of tissuesNervous tissueAxon hillock

Axon hillock

Author: Edwin Ocran, MBChB, MSc • Reviewer: Dimitrios Mytilinaios, MD, PhD
Last reviewed: October 30, 2023
Reading time: 2 minutes

Recommended video: Neurons [11:24]
Neurons are the basic building blocks of the nervous system.
Axon hillock
Colliculus axonis
1/2
Synonyms: none

The axon hillock refers to the triangular, cone-shaped region of a nerve cell body which serves as the origin from which the nerve axon extends. The axon hillock helps to differentiate the axon from a dendrite of a nerve cell on microscopy.

This anatomically and functionally specialized area is devoid of large cytoplasmic organelles such as Nissl granules and Golgi complexes but, however, contains microtubules, neurofilaments, mitochondria, and vesicles, as well as a high concentration of ion channels.

The axon hillock plays an important role in neural communication. It serves as a neuron's primary integrative zone, receiving various excitatory and inhibitory stimuli. It determines whether or not the sum of all incoming signals warrants the propagation of an action potential and transmission of a signal.

The region of the nerve axon which lies between the apex of the axon hillock and the starting point of the myelin sheath is called the initial segment. This segment is the actual site where the action potential is generated. Once generated in the initial segment, the action potential then propagates along the axon.

Terminology English: Axon hillock
Latin: Colliculus axonis
Definition Pyramidal-shaped region connecting axon to cell body
Structure Lacks large cytoplasmic organelles: Nissl bodies, Golgi cisternae
Contains numerous voltage-gated ion channels
Function Integration of incoming synaptic stimuli and generation of an action potential
Neurons Explore study unit

Sources

All content published on Kenhub is reviewed by medical and anatomy experts. The information we provide is grounded on academic literature and peer-reviewed research. Kenhub does not provide medical advice. You can learn more about our content creation and review standards by reading our content quality guidelines.
  • McKinley, M. & Loughlin, V. (2012). Human anatomy. New York: McGraw-Hill.
  • Mescher, A. L., & Junqueira, L. C. (2013). Junqueira's basic histology: Text & atlas. McGraw-Hill Medical.
  • Ross, M. H., & Pawlina, W. (2011). Histology : a text and atlas : with correlated cell and molecular biology (6th ed.). Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Health
  • Young, B., O'Dowd, G., & Woodford, P. (2014). Wheater's functional histology: A text and colour atlas. Churchill Livingston/Elsevier.

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