nerve net
Jellyfish sensory system
A nerve net is a diffuse network of neurons spread throughout an organism's body, lacking a central brain or nerve cord.
Found in jellyfish, hydra, and other cnidarians, it represents one of the simplest nervous systems in the animal kingdom.
Stimulation at any point spreads in all directions through the net, producing coordinated but basic responses like contraction or movement.
Stinging aquatic invertebrate
- jellyfishDrifting marine stinger
- hydraFreshwater cnidarian polyp
- sea anemoneTentacled marine polyp
- medusaFree-swimming cnidarian form
polyp · tentacles · radial symmetry · nematocysts · bell · diffuse · decentralized · ganglia
Signal-transmitting brain cells
- synapsesNeuron-to-neuron transmission points
- axonsNeuron output extensions
- dendritesNeuron's signal-receiving projections
- neurotransmittersChemical neural messengers
impulse · receptors · interconnected · meshwork · plexus · circuitry · pathways · conductivity
Of one's forebears
- basalOf the foundation
- rudimentaryIn simplest possible form
- simpleFree of complexity
- primordialExisting from the start
early · undifferentiated · decentralized · evolutionary · radial · basic · foundational · ancient
cnidarian
Stinging aquatic invertebrate
- jellyfishDrifting marine stinger
- hydraFreshwater cnidarian polyp
- sea anemoneTentacled marine polyp
medusa · polyp · tentacles · radial symmetry · nematocysts · bell · diffuse · decentralized · ganglia · bidirectional
neurons
Signal-transmitting brain cells
- synapsesNeuron-to-neuron transmission points
- axonsNeuron output extensions
- dendritesNeuron's signal-receiving projections
neurotransmitters · impulse · receptors · interconnected · meshwork · plexus · circuitry · pathways · conductivity · excitation
ancestral
Of one's forebears
- basalOf the foundation
- rudimentaryIn simplest possible form
- simpleFree of complexity
primordial · early · undifferentiated · decentralized · evolutionary · radial · basic · foundational · ancient · unspecialized
- invertebrate anatomyantennae, exoskeleton, gills, ganglia, cuticle
- insect biologyantennae, compound eyes, exoskeleton, mandibles, spiracles
- cnidarianssea anemone, corals, stony coral, moon jelly, jellyfish
nerve netbrain
Seat of cognition
central nervous system · cerebrum · cerebral cortex · spinal cord · nerve cord
net, nerve, nervous, network, nerves, netting, nervy, neural, enervate