The purpose of this essay is to explain the mechanisms of neural communication, and the influence that different drugs have on this communication. The nervous system is made up of several cells that are called neurons, which are situated inside the Central Nervous System (Martin, Carlson & Buskit, 2013). Neurons comprise of three mechanisms, a cell body which is referred to as the soma, dendrites and an axon (Pinel, 2011). The cell body comprises of the nucleus and other organelles (Ward, 2010). The nucleus contains the genetic code, and this is involved with protein synthesis (He, 2013). The dendrites receive information from other neurons which are located in a close proximity (Kalat, 1995). The terminal of an axon compresses into a disc-shaped structure (Gross, 2010). This is where chemical signals also known as a neurotransmitter permit interaction amongst neurons, by means of a minute gap named a synapse (Martin, Carlson & Buskit, 2013). Both neurons which form the synapse are referred to as a presynaptic synapse (prior to the synapse) and postsynaptic (after the synapse), reflecting the direction of information flow (from axon to dendrite), (He, 2013).
Once a presynaptic neuron is passive, an electrical current is spread along the length of the axon (Schiff, 2012). This is known as action potential (Pinel, 2011). Action potential happens once an abundant amount of depolarisation reaches the limit through the entry of sodium, by means of voltage gated sodium channels
Describe the anatomy of the neuron and the ways that neurons communicate with each other.
In a normal and healthy nervous system, many electrical signals are received and sent through neurons. The arrival of those signals at the end of the neuron triggers the release of many chemicals, in specific, neurotransmitters (Brooker, 2011). These chemicals travel into a gap between the presynaptic (end of one neuron) and the beginning of he postsynaptic (next neuron). This gap is named a synapse (Brooker, 2011). Neurotransmitters are then released into the synapse and then bind to the ibid (post -synaptic neuron). When this
A) With the help of nerve tissues and nerve cells that translate the outside stimulus of the world around us, that collected information is processed into a chemical message, known the be the neurotransmitters. One role that neurotransmitters play within the nervous system is inhibitors and exciters of cells that aren’t neuron cells, which consequentially cause cells to either react to stimuli or inhibit it to not produce a reaction. Once the information of the stimuli is registered and at times further processed by the central nervous system (CNS), the brain and the spinal cord are the two structures known the be the main components of this system, an action is generated in response. This process happens incredibly quickly within the body, and the reason for this is to protect ourselves from outside forces and to adapt quickly to a changing environment. Without neurotransmitters the body’s large communication network of nerve tissue would not be able to register and generate responses to stimuli that can occur all over the body, this information has to travel in order to be registered and dealt with correctly and in doing so neurotransmitters keep the journey a steady process.
The dendrites of the cell body are branded out in a way to serve as a “landing pad” for the information coming into the brain. Also, in Parkinson’s no certain organelle is found to have a higher count than the others. The neurons do not communicate with any other cell besides other nerve cells. The Society for Neuroscience stated, “Dendrites extend from the neuron cell body and receive messages from other neurons. Synapses are the contact points where one neuron communicates with another. The dendrites are covered with synapses formed by the ends of axons from other neurons” (2012, April 1). That is how nerve cells communicate with one another but because nerve cells are in charge of the whole nervous system they don 't interact with other types of cells.
Impulses are transmitted from one neuron to the next through chemical and electrical conduction. Presynaptic neurons conduct impulses toward the synapse while postsynaptic neurons conduct away from the synapse. The electric impulse move from the first neuron, along the axon, to the synapse at the synaptic knobs. Secretion of chemical transmitter into the synaptic nerve depolarizes the membrane of the subsequent neuron. In its unexcited state, a neuron retains a resting membrane potential. When the membrane potential is excited, the arrival of an action potential at the synaptic knob allows the neurotransmitters released into synaptic cleft to trigger an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron (McCance & Huether, 2014).
Neurons are particular cells that transmit signals to the brain and are an important building block of the central nervous system. Neurons have action potential which is caused by ion channels that shut when the membrane potential close the resting potential. It then begins depolarization, which allows sodium ions to produce more membrane potential, allowing more channels to open.
The cell body is the roughly round part of a neuron that contains the nucleus, mitochondria, and most of the cellular organelles. There are 3 basic classes of neurons: afferent neurons, efferent neurons, and interneurons. Afferent neurons. Also known as sensory neurons, afferent neurons transmit sensory signals to the central nervous system from receptors in the body.Efferent neurons. Also known as motor neurons, efferent neurons transmit signals from the central nervous system to effectors in the body such as muscles and glands.Interneurons. Interneurons form complex networks within the central nervous system to integrate the information received from afferent neurons and to direct the function of the body through efferent
Allowing the impulses to travel faster, Nodes of Ranvier is the gap that impulses travel. Axon terminals are where the neuron makes contact with dendrites with a receptor or effector. Impulses are transfer from one cell to other cell is known as synapse. The electrical current travels along the dendrite and axon to the neurotransmitter when a neuron detects a stimulus of strength. When the stimulus reached the axon or dendrite, the point of stimulation becomes positive and negative on the outside. Action potential activates and the area behind the impulse will back to its resting state once the impulses move along.
The communication between neurons advances through a series of steps. First, the presynaptic neuron delivers an action potential down its axon until it loses its myelin sheath and divides into many branches called buttons or synaptic knobs. (Zillmer, 2008, p. 105) Between the two neurons is a space called the synaptic cleft. This is the space where neurotransmitters are sent before being received by the postsynaptic neuron.
As the action potential is near its peak, sodium channels begin to close which then allows the potassium channels to fully open. Potassium ions rush out of the cell and the voltage quickly returns to its original resting state. This corresponds to the falling phase of the action potential. Sodium and potassium at this point have switched places across the membrane and the resting membrane potential is then slowly restored due to diffusion and the sodium-potassium pump. Without the process of the sodium-potassium pump and the action potential, our nerve cells will not
An electrical impulse carrying a neuronal message is called an action potential. During action potential, the neural membrane allows a net positive inflow of ions into the cell and negatively charged ions out of the cell. This causes a voltage change in the neuronal membrane which is also known as depolarization. Ions that participate in establishing an action potential are sodium, potassium, calcium and chloride. In a normal brain, hyper excitability of neurons is achieved by different inhibitory mechanisms.
In normal neuron communication a bioelectric current goes from the presynaptic knob to the postsynaptic knob. When the bioelectric current reaches the vesicles in the presynaptic knob the vesicles release neurotransmitters. Some of the neurotransmitters, that are now in the synaptic cleft, bind to the receptors on the postsynaptic neuron. After some of the neurotransmitters bind to the postsynaptic neuron and the biolectric current has reached the postsynaptic neuron the neurotransmitters go back to the presynaptic neuron. However,
The neuronal systems are composed of neurotransmitters and the receptors. Neurons are the basic building structures of the neuronal systems. Nerve signals are sent out from one neuron to another through the Neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters can either be excitatory or inhibitory. The excitatory neurotransmitters are the ones that broadcast a message to other neurons while the inhibitory neurotransmitters are the ones that keep the messages from being sent or received. Based on these received messages, the neurotransmitters then bind with the receptor sites on nerve synapses. There are a myriad of different neuronal systems in the brain. The different types of smart drugs (discussed above) interact with the different neuronal systems and help boost the efficiency of these systems leading to improved cognitive
The process of firing an action potential happens in many steps and there are key players to the process. On the cell membrane of the axon of a pre-synaptic neuron, specifically in the Nodes of Ranvier, there are non-gated ion channels, voltage-gated ion channels, and ion pumps. All of these are special proteins that are specific to ions and carry out specific functions. At resting membrane potential, when an action potential is not being fired and the cell is at rest, there is Na2+ (sodium ion) in high concentration outside the cell and K+ (potassium ion) in high concentration inside the cell. Both are separated by a phospholipid bilayer that makes up the cell membrane and the cell is slightly more negative inside the cell than outside the cell. At this time, sodium and potassium ions are free to move
Neurons communicate at structures called synapses. Typical neuron consists of a large number of extension called dendrites that ties neurotransmitter chemical migrating across the synaptic gaps separating neuron. There are usually like a spikes extending out from cell body. Cell body (soma) contains Nucleus, cytoplasm organelles and is the metabolic centre of the cell, Brings information to the neuron. One extension is different from all the others, and is called the axon. The purpose of the axon is to transit an electro chemical signal to other neurons. The longer axons are covered with a myelin sheath, the purpose of myelin sheath is to protect and insulate axons, and enhance their transmission of electrical impulses. At the end of the axon is terminal buttons, it releases neurotransmitters (Appendix, Fig1). Neurotransmitters play a role in the way human behave, learn and sleep and some pay in mental illness.When they are released from the neurotransmitter vesicles of the presynaptic membrane, the normal movement of molecules is directed to receptor sites situated on the postsynaptic membrane. However, in some disease, the flow of the neurotransmitter is imperfect. Neurotransmitters are: Acetylcholine and norepinephrine (excitatory neurotransmitters); dopamine, serotonin and gamma amino butyric