Associative neurons or interneurons are those that connect sensory neurons or afferent pathways with motor neurons or efferent pathways, that is, it is a neuron that is located in the central nervous system, which is usually small and has a short axon. It is responsible for connecting neurons, but never with sensory receptors or muscle fibers, so that more complex functions are carried out. The impulse emanating from the interneuron is perceived by the sensory neurons and then transferred to the brain to be processed and thus generate a response, then this response is conducted outside the body thanks to the so-called motor neurons;Between the two neurons are the association neurons or interneurons that are responsible for fusing the two neurons responsible for capturing the stimulus, that is, the sensory neurons with the specific response or motor neurons.
The interneuron, also known as the association neuron, whose primary function is to examine or study sensory information and collect part of it. Said neuron also acts on reflex acts, modifying a stimulus in response at the level of the spinal cord. It is located between the motor neurons and the sensory neurons, located in the higher nerve centers.
Associative neurons are multipolar neurons, which link afferent neurons to efferent neurons in neural or nerve tracts. Therefore, it could be said that they are equivalent to a communication bridge, which intercommunicates motor neurons with sensory neurons. Notably, like motor cells, associative neurons are only found in the central nervous system.
