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Neurons and Brain Function Explained

Neurons are the basic unit of the nervous system and are composed of a cell body, dendrites, and an axon. Neurons communicate via electrical and chemical signals. The electrical signal travels as an action potential down the axon. Chemicals called neurotransmitters are released by the axon terminal and bind to receptors on other neurons to transmit signals between neurons. The brain stem controls basic functions like breathing and motor responses. It includes the medulla, pons, and reticular formation which filters sensory input. The thalamus further filters input and relays signals to higher brain regions. The limbic system and cerebellum are also involved in emotion and movement coordination.

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Rachel Miguel
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87 views16 pages

Neurons and Brain Function Explained

Neurons are the basic unit of the nervous system and are composed of a cell body, dendrites, and an axon. Neurons communicate via electrical and chemical signals. The electrical signal travels as an action potential down the axon. Chemicals called neurotransmitters are released by the axon terminal and bind to receptors on other neurons to transmit signals between neurons. The brain stem controls basic functions like breathing and motor responses. It includes the medulla, pons, and reticular formation which filters sensory input. The thalamus further filters input and relays signals to higher brain regions. The limbic system and cerebellum are also involved in emotion and movement coordination.

Uploaded by

Rachel Miguel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Brain, Body and

Behavior
A neuron is a cell in the nervous
system whose function it is to
receive and transmit information

neurons are made up of three major parts:


• a cell body, or soma, which contains the
nucleus of the cell and keeps the cell alive;

• the dendrite- a branching treelike fiber


known as, which collects information from
other cells and sends the information to
the soma;

• and the axon, a long, segmented fiber


which transmits information away from the
cell body toward other neurons or to the
muscles and glands.
Neurons Communicate Using Electricity and
Chemicals
The nervous system operates using an electrochemical process
An electrical charge moves through the neuron itself and
chemicals are used to transmit information between neurons.
+(22) Action Potential in the Neuron - YouTube
+ The electrical signal moves through the neuron as a result of
changes in the electrical charge of the axon. Normally, the axon
remains in the resting potential, a state in which the interior of
the neuron contains a greater number of negatively charged
ions than does the area outside the cell.
Neurotransmitters: The Body’s Chemical
Messengers
Prevent their re uptake
+ The innermost structures of the brain—the parts nearest the
spinal cord—are the oldest part of the brain, and these areas
carry out the same the functions they did for our distant
ancestors. The “old brain” regulates basic survival functions,
such as breathing, moving, resting, and feeding, and creates our
experiences of emotion.
The Major Structures in the Human Brain
The brain stem is the oldest and innermost region of the
brain. It’s designed to control the most basic functions of
life, including breathing, attention, and motor responses

medulla, the area of the brain stem that controls heart


rate and breathing.

the pons, a structure in the brain stem that helps control


the movements of the body, playing a particularly
important role in balance and walking.

Running through the medulla and the pons is a long,


narrow network of neurons known as the reticular
formation. The job of the reticular formation is to filter
out some of the stimuli that are coming into the brain
from the spinal cord and to relay the remainder of the
signals to other areas of the brain.

The thalamus is the egg-shaped structure above the brain stem that applies still more filtering to the sensory
information that is coming up from the spinal cord and through the reticular formation, and it relays some of
these remaining signals to the higher brain levels
This diagram shows the major
parts of the limbic system, as
well as the pituitary gland,
which is controlled by it.
The cerebellum (literally, “little
brain”) consists of two wrinkled
ovals behind the brain stem. It
functions to coordinate
voluntary movement.
cerebellum

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