What term refers to the nerve cells that transmit messages in the brain?

The correct term referring to the nerve cells that transmit messages in the brain is neurons. Neurons are specialized cells that carry information throughout the nervous system, processing and sending signals to other neurons, muscles, or glands. They play a crucial role in brain function by facilitating communication through electrical impulses and chemical signals.

Synapses are the junctions between neurons where communication occurs, but they do not transmit messages themselves; rather, they are the points where neurons interact. Neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers released by neurons that cross synapses to transmit signals, but they are not the cells that carry messages. Dendrites are the branched extensions of neurons that receive messages from other neurons, but they do not transmit messages on their own. Thus, while all these terms are related to neuronal communication, neurons specifically refer to the cells that conduct those messages.