![]() What do these neurons hear as they listen to other neurons talking? That depends on the language being spoken-or the identity of the neurotransmitter that is released. ![]() Image credit: Dr Alan Woodruff, Queensland Brain Institute. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The neurotransmitter travels across the gap to activate receptors on the receiving neuron. An action potential here (yellow lightning) causes neurotransmitters to be released. Figure 1: Synapses are tiny gaps between neurons, across which the neurons talk to each other. Any time a neuron spikes, neurotransmitters are released from hundreds of its synapses, resulting in communication with hundreds of other neurons. When a neuron spikes it releases a neurotransmitter, a chemical that travels a tiny distance across a synapse before reaching other neurons (Fig 1). ![]() ![]() They allow neurons to communicate with each other, computations to be performed, and information to be processed. Nerve impulses are the basic currency of the brain. This means that they produce electrical events called action potentials, which are also known as nerve impulses, or spikes. The key difference between neurons and glia is that neurons are ‘excitable’. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |