Realizations Inc

Introduction to Neurons and Neurotransmitters

As you may already know, the word “neuron” is a label for specialized cells in your brain and nervous system (and in your heart as well, for that matter) that have a highly developed ability to exchange information with each other. Most humans call that “thinking. Estimates are that you have 100 billion neurons in your brain, give or take a few billion. Some even say you have more neurons than there are stars in our galaxy!

Imagine your hand is a neuron. The palm of your hand represents the cell body (or face, if you will). Your thumb represents the axon or largest projection. Think of it as the door out of the neuron. Your fingers represent dendrites, smaller projections whose job is to collect information and bring it inside the cell so it can be processed (e.g., you can think about it).

In order for you to think, neurons have to exchange information with each other, but they don’t actually physically touch each other to do this. One of the ways in which they exchange information is by means of a synapse.

A bit of chemical information is released from the terminal at the end of an axon. This chemical information is picked up by tiny boats (neurotransmitters) if you will, and ferried across the tiny canal (synaptic gap). On the other side of the canal it is picked up by the dendrite of another neuron. The tiny boats return to dock at the axon terminal, ready to be used again as needed.

The communication possibilities are virtually unlimited! Researchers have estimated that there may be more synaptic connections in your brain than there are atoms in our universe! How’s that for potential?

Use it or lose it!

Neurons function much in the same way as muscle tissue. Neurons tend to get stronger with mental exercise. In fact, the more they are challenged and stimulated the stronger they become and the further they stretch. This shortens the distance across the synaptic gap (or canal). Of course the reverse is true. Neurons tend to shrivel up and atrophy with disuse. This can be the basis for some age-related memory problems or other “thinking” dysfunction. Some of these problems can even be reversed for a time with increased brain stimulation.

NOTE:  You may want to solve Brain Benders as one type of Brain Aerobic Exercise to help keep your neuronal dendrites and axons stretched out.