dendrite /den″drīt/ [Gk, dendron, tree] , a slender branching process that extends from the cell body of a neuron and that is capable of being stimulated by a neurotransmitter. Each neuron usually possesses several dendrites, which receive synapses where chemical transmission occurs from axons to dendrites (or an axon, in the case of unipolar neurons). The number of dendrites and thus the number of synapses varies with the functions of a neuron. Also called cytodendrite. Compare axon.
