Most activities involved in maintaining and functioning of neurons are started at the neuronal membrane. Membrane-related molecular agents, which associate in protein/lipid clusters to start molecular processing and signal transduction, are required for these processes. A neuron gets information from neighboring cells on its dendrite, or "tree branch." Similar to how tree branches branch as they go toward their tips, dendrites also have spines, which are leaf-like feature. The cell body, also referred to as a soma, is the central portion of a neuron. The cell body preserves the structural integrity of the neuron, houses the genetic material, and supplies energy to power operations. A neuron's soma has a nucleus and specialized organelles, just like other cell bodies do.