Neuron 🧠

Neurons are the basic building blocks of the nervous system; their main function is to communicate with each other across tiny junctions called synapses. While there are many sorts of neurons, their basic design is pretty similar. Each neuron possesses a soma that makes proteins so the neuron can stay alive. The soma sends out spikes called dendrites which receive neurotransmitters from other neurons and allow them to communicate with each other. Each neuron also has one long axon, a special fiber that transmits this information. When a neural impulse is generated in the first cell, it pulses down to the end of the axon, which contains little packets of neurotransmitters waiting to be released. The firing axon then shoots the neurotransmitters across the synapse to bind to the receptors on the dendrites of the next cell either inhibiting it or exciting it to fire.

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References

• Lustig, H., Robert. (2017). The Hacking of the American Mind The Science Behind the Corporate Takeover of Our Bodies and Brains Chapter 2. Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places (Location 417). New York, NY: Penguin Random House.

• Hanson, Rick. (2009). Buddha’s Brain The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom Chapter 2.The Evolution of Suffering (Page 36). New Harbinger Publications: Oakland, CA.

Metadata

Type:🔵 Tags: Biology / Neuroscience / Anatomy / Neuroanatomy Status:☀️