NEUROSECRETORY CELL

a type of neuron, or nerve cell, whose function is to translate neural signals into chemical stimuli. Such cells produce secretions (neurohormones) that pass along the nerve cell axon and are typically released into the bloodstream at special regions (neurohemal organs) in which the axon endings are in close contact with blood capillaries. Neurosecretory cells occur in most multicellular animals and are usually distinguished from other neurons by the unusually large size of the cell nucleus, axon endings, and the cell itself.