ALPHABETICAL BRAIN™ VOCABULARY DETAILS about NEURONS Brain Flash Card #2 WHAT ARE YOUR NEURONS AND WHY ARE THEY SO IMPORTANT? What is the purpose and function of your NEURONS? Your neurons are specialized brain cells that make it possible for the many parts of your body to communicate with each other and also make it possible for you to communicate with others. They are the basic building blocks of your brain's structure and they make up about 20% of the cells in your brain. Your neurons are able to send or receive biochemical signals (ionic impulses) all around your brain and up and down your body but only in one direction within each neural pathway. They are known as the gray matter in your brain and spinal cord since they consist of 100 billion tiny nerve cells with gray cell bodies, which make possible your brain's extreme adaptability or plasticity. All of your neurons are connected to each other by your synapses, which relay biochemical signals through an electro-chemical transduction process known as long-term potentiation or potentiation for short. NOTE: The essential connecting function of synapses #8 and the functional processes of potentiation #7 and plasticity #10 are explained in more detail on free brain flash cards. INSTANTLY GO TO: FACT CHECKER for NEURONS#2 OR RETURN TO: NEURONS: BRAIN FLASH CARD #2 OR RETURN TO: LIST OF 15 FREE BRAIN FLASH CARDS