Written By: Ivey Ingalls-Rubin, Staff Writer

A strange new shape of brain cell leaves neuroscientists baffled at what the function of these neurons might be.

It is true that neurons come in various shapes and sizes; however, they follow a very basic blueprint. The structure consists of a cell body that has protruding gangling appendages called dendrites and axons.

In a typical brain cell, the branchlike dendrites receive electrical signals from other nerve cells, process them, and then pass those signals onto other neurons along the axon, which are extensions of the cell. The axons and dendrites are usually connected by the neurons cell body.

Up until now that is how scientists believed the process worked. Well, this newly discovered cell takes a quite the short cut. The shape allows the axon to flow its signal directly to one of the dendrites, bypassing the cell body altogether.

To read more about this extraordinary discovery please visit HERE.