neuron and a α-MNs. The knee-jerk reflex is an example of such a monosynaptic reflex. The most extensive input to α-MNs is from local interneurons, which are the most numerous type of neuron in the spinal cord. Among their many roles, interneurons synapse on α-MNs to create more complex reflex circuitry. One type of interneuron is the Renshaw cell. Efferent output Alpha motor neurons send fibers that mainly synapse on extrafusal muscle fibers. Other fibers from α-MNs synapse on Renshaw cells, i.e. inhibitory interneurons that synapse on the α-MN and limit its activity in order to prevent muscle damage. Signaling Like other neurons, α-MNs transmit signals as action potentials, rapid changes in electrical activity that propagate from the cell body to the end of the axon. To increase the speed at which action potentials travel, α-MN axons have large diameters and are heavily myelinated by both oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells. Oligodendrocytes myelinate the part of the α-MN axon that lies in the central nervous system (CNS), while Schwann cells myelinate the part that lies in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The transition between the CNS and PNS occurs at the level of the pia mater, the innermost and most delicate layer of meningeal tissue surrounding components of the CNS. The axon of an α-MN connects with its extrafusal muscle fiber via a neuromuscular junction, a specialized type of chemical synapse that differs both in structure and function from the chemical synapses that connect neurons to each other. Both types of synapses rely on neurotransmitters to transduce the electrical signal into a chemical signal and back. One way they differ is that synapses between neurons typically use glutamate or GABA as their neurotransmitters, while the neuromuscular junction uses acetylcholine exclusively. Acetylcholine is sensed by nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on extrafusal muscle fibers, causing their contraction. Like other motor neurons, α-MNs are named after the properties of their axons. Alpha motor neurons have Aα axons, which are large-caliber, heavily myelinated fibers that conduct action potentials rapidly. By contrast, gamma motor neurons have Aγ axons, which are slender, lightly myelinated fibers that conduct less rapidly. Clinical significance Injury to α-MNs is the most common type of lower motor neuron lesion. Damage may be caused by trauma, ischemia, and infection, among others. In addition, certain diseases are associated with the selective loss of α-MNs. For example, poliomyelitis is caused by a virus that specifically targets