What are the branches of the cell body that act as receivers, collecting information from other neurons?

Dendrites are specialized structures that extend from the cell body of a neuron and are crucial for the communication between neurons. They act as receivers, collecting information in the form of chemical signals from other neurons at synapses. When these signals bind to receptor sites on the dendrites, they can initiate electrical changes that may lead to the generation of an action potential, allowing the neuron to transmit information throughout the nervous system.

In contrast, neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers released from neurons to communicate with other cells, but they do not have a structural role in receiving signals. Axons are long projections that conduct electrical impulses away from the neuron’s cell body to other neurons, muscles, or glands. The soma, or cell body, contains the nucleus and other organelles vital for the neuron's functionality but does not play a direct role in signal reception like dendrites do. Thus, dendrites are specifically adapted to gather incoming signals, making them the correct answer to the question.