Bing Ye, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, Research Assistant Professor, Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan Medical School

In general terms, neurons (nerve cells) consist of a cell body (or soma) from which input and output processes extend. The input or receiving processes are the branching, tree-like dendrites. Dendrite means "tree" in Greek. This image shows the dendritic processes of a single pain-sensing neuron in a fruit fly larva. Research on these tree-like processes in fruit flies has provided important insights into human neurological and psychiatric disorders.