• A portion of a network composed o

• A portion of a network composed of two cells is shown in Figure 6.2.
• The cell itself includes a nucleus (the central processing portion of the neuron). To the left of cell 1,the dendrites provide input signals to the cell.
• To the right, the axon sends output signals to cell 2 via the axon terminals. These axon terminals merge with the dendrites of cell 2.
• Signals can be transmitted unchanged, or they can be altered by synapses. A synapse is able to increase or decrease the strength of the connection between neurons and cause excitation or inhibition of a subsequent neuron.

• An ANN emulates a biological neural network. Neural computing actually uses a very limited set of concepts from biological neural system (see Technology Insights 6.1). It is more of an analogy to the human brain than an accurate model of it.
• Neural concepts usually are implemented as software simulations of the massively parallel processes involved in processing interconnected elements (also called artificial neurons, or neurodes) in a network architecture.
• The artificial neuron receives inputs analogous to the electrochemical impulses that dendrites of biological neurons receive from other neurons.
• The output of the artificial neuron corresponds to signals sent from a biological neuron over its axon.