Basic Physiology of a Neuron and How it Fires

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Basic Physiology of a Neuron and How it Fires

Describe the basic physiology of a neuron. Detail the manner by which neurons fire action potentials and how neurons communicate with one another across synapses. Outline the process of how an action petential occurs and hoe it propagates down an axon. Explain how chemical transmission occurs at synapses and how this allows neurons to activate of inhibit one another.

[Picture from "Answer to Neuron Structure"]

Neurons are the basic units of the brain. Above is a picture of a prototypical neuron with its parts labeled by number. The objects labeled by the number one are Dendrites. Dendrites conduct nerve impulses towards the nerve cell. The nucleus, which regulates activities in the cell is labelled 2. Labeled 3, the soma or cell body, is the body of the neuron. The myelinated sheath, of the structure labeled 4, acts like an insulator. Not all neurons have myelinated sheaths. In the types that do, messages to said to 'jump' along the axon. Structure 6 is the axon, which conducts impulses away from the cell body. Finally, structures labeled 8 are called terminal branches or synaptic terminals. These transfer impulses toward the next neuron. (Answer to Neuron Structure)

Action potential is what allows for nerve impulses. The process of action potential begins when there is a difference in concentration of ions outside and inside of the neuron. Before this process begins, the neurons are in a state called resting potential. In this state, neurons are negativelty charged at -70 mv. If an electrical stimulus is applied, sodium dependent gates open and positive sodium ions to rush in. Now the neuron is positively charged. The added sodium creates what is known as a 'spi...

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...complete description is the algorithmic level. For a Turing machine an algorithmic description would a table of instructions detailing what to do if a certain situation occurs and what steps to follow. Finally, the computational description of a turing machine would be depend on the exact function that was being carried out. A set example can't be given becuase a turing machine is a hypothetical machine.

Each of these levels of the tri-level hypothesis contains limitations. The limitations of the implementational level is that one can't be sure where part of the machine is necessary for it to function. Limitations on the algorithmic level occur because a formal account of information and the manner of its manipulation cannot describe the task very well. Limitations occur at the computational level because one needs the lower two levels to fully explain a process.

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