Synapse

Electrical and chemical synapses serve different functions in the nervous system, and the use of each type of synapse has advantages and disadvantages for situations requiring signal transmission. One of the advantages of the use of an electrical synapse is speed, as electrical synapses allow action potentials to pass directly from neuron to neuron through the use of gap junctions. This direct passage and resulting speed of transmission isn’t present in chemical synapses. Chemical synapses rely on the transformation of the action potential into a chemical called the neurotransmitter, which is diffused across the synapse to bind to receptors in another neuron and then transformed into another action potential to continue the signal transmission…

Short-term plasticity at the ORN  PN synapse could result in PN responses that are strongest during the rising phase of the ORN response since the ORN  PN synapses display short-term depression that causes ORN spikes that arrive later to produce smaller postsynaptic potentials than the ones produced by earlier spikes. In depressing synapses, successive action potentials result in smaller and smaller postsynaptic responses. The reduction in postsynaptic responses could be due to smaller amount…

Synapses are the basic functional units in Central Nervous System (CNS). The synapses enable neuron-to-neuron communication via releasing and uptake of neurotransmitters. The synapse formation is modulated by specialized CNS cell type, glia. The glia modulates neuronal function via synapse formation, modification and elimination and, the glia even affects reorganization of neuronal circuit. Understanding cellular and molecular interactions of these glial cells is of great importance because they…

Neurotransmitters are proteins produced by the nervous system. To be classified as a neurotransmitter, a chemical must bridge the synapse and induce an electric current in a dendrite. Neurotransmitters may either excite the dendrite or inhibit it, and the same neurotransmitter may be excitatory or inhibitory in different neural circuits. Neurotransmitters that increase activity in the neuron are said to be excitatory. In contrast, neurotransmitters that decrease activity in the neuron are said…

and the axon. A cell body is exactly as it sounds, the body of the cell that holds most everything. It resembles an uprooted tree root mass (Medina, 89). The dendrites are small fibers that can send or receive signals from other neurons. The dendrites would be the root tips on the uprooted tree. An axon is essentially the transmitter of the neuron. It sends the signals to the dendrites that come from the cell body. This would be the trunk of the uprooted tree in our imagining of a neuron. Going…

The purpose of synapses is to pass chemical signals to one neurons to another one. Synapse is defined as a "where a presynaptic terminal ends in close proximity to a receiving dendrite (NIDA. 1996. 43)." The brain is an organ that controls different functions of the body. Neurons controls body functions, behaviors, and emotions but exactly how do neurons do this? First, let's define neuron. "A neuron is a specialized cell that can produce different actions because of its precise connections with…

As we grow older, there is a deterioration or loss of synapses. Synapses are the junctions between the interconnecting neurons that are the network of our brain. Our brain depends on these to keep a sharp mind and a strong memory. There are several tactics you can use to stimulate the synapses keeping it healthy, improving memory and improving cognitive functions. Relax, don't worry about it. Studies have shown prolonged exposure to stress can interfere with the function of neurotransmitters.…

other parts of the tree. Myelin sheath surrounds the axon as its protective barrier, much the same way as bark on a tree protects the tree from external threats. When the bark on a tree is damaged, the tree can begin to die. The myelin sheath protects the axon from being damaged. When a person decides to do crack cocaine, they are killing the myelin sheath, which in turn is killing their brain cells. The importance of the roots of a tree is to send nutrients up to the rest of the tree to help in…

groups can far exceed the number of neurons and the number of synapses in the network. 6.1 components of the network  Spikes: Polychronous spikes have two major properties—They are asynchronous, but time-locked and (ii) Axonal delays may lead them to be coincident at another point in the network.  Delays: Synapses have axonal delays in the range of 1-20ms. Axonal delays lead to firing patterns that cannot be produced without them.  Networks: To simulate polychronization, we use a large,…

carries environmental impulses to the cell body. Neurons make connections with other neurons due to the Axon terminals. Axon terminals are tiny swellings in the neuron at the end of the axon, which helps to connect one neuron to the other. The outer covering of the neuron is known as the neurilemma. The neurilemma allows the nerve to regenerate itself if it becomes damaged. With threshold stimulus, only a small amount is required, in order to activate a neuron. The receptors are the special…