This unique individual  can be distinguished from other cells in a number of ways, but their most fundamental property is that they communicate with other cells via synapses .Many types of neuron possess an axon, a protoplasmic protrusion that can extend to distant parts of the body and make thousands of synaptic contacts. Axons frequently travel through the body in bundles called nerves. Even in the nervous system of a single species such as humans, hundreds of different types of neurons exist, included motor neurons and sensory neurons.