


More than that, their interactions define who we are as people. There are only differences between fast secreting neurotransmitters (Acth, dopamine) and slow releasing neuropeptides from neuroendocrine cells.Neurons (also called neurones or nerve cells) are the fundamental units of the brain and nervous system, the cells responsible for receiving sensory input from the external world, for sending motor commands to our muscles, and for transforming and relaying the electrical signals at every step in between. The specific capacitance is mainly determined by the thickness and dielectric constant of the phospholipid bilayer membrane and is similar for intracellular organelles and the plasma membrane.

This can be measured by increases in membrane capacitance (Cm). Another direct measure of exocytosis is the increase in membrane area due to the incorporation of the secretory granule or vesicle membrane into the plasma membrane. Meaning that upon stimulation, many neurotransmitters are being released into the synaptic cleft.īut there a thing called membrane capacitance. In the process, they cause changes in the permeability of the cell membrane to specific ions, opening up special gates or channels which let in a flood of charged particles (ions of calcium, sodium, potassium, and chloride). These chemicals then bind to chemical receptors in the dendrites of the receiving (post-synaptic) neuron. When stimulated by an electrical pulse, neurotransmitters of various types are released, and they cross the cell membrane into the synaptic gap between neurons. The more signals sent between two neurons, the stronger the connection grows. The connections between neurons are not static, though, they change over time. Meaning that a certain neuron sends multiple kinds of signals by sending different kinds of neurotransmitters.įunctionally related neurons connect to form neural networks (also known as neural nets or assemblies).

Each neuron may be connected to up to 10,000 other neurons, passing signals to each other via as many as 1,000 trillion synaptic connections.
