  Axons functionally link the somato-dendritic compartment to synaptic
terminals. Structurally and functionally diverse, they accomplish a central
role in determining the delays and reliability with which neuronal ensembles
communicate. By combining their active and passive biophysical properties, they
ensure a plethora of physiological computations. In this review, we revisit the
biophysics of generation and propagation of electrical signals in the axon,
their complex interplay, and their rich dynamics. We further place the
computational abilities of axons in the context of intracellular and
intercellular coupling. We discuss how, by means of sophisticated biophysical
mechanisms, axons expand the repertoire of axonal computation, and thereby, of
neural computation.
