Bipolar Cells

Primarily each bipolar cell is a spindle-shaped cell with axon and dendrite emerging from opposite poles of the spindle (Fig. 9), In a few instances, e.g. the ganglia of the auditory nerve (nerve of hearing), this form is retained in the adult.

Usually, however, the growth of the cell proceeds in a unilateral manner, with the result that the two poles gradually fuse with one another to form a single process with a T-shaped or Y-shaped bifurcation. This is sometimes described as a unipolar cell (Fig. 10). The cells of the bipolar group belong to sensory neurons.