Neurons

Consciousness is wrapped up in the brain. At its core the brain is based upon the way neurons work together. The brain is essentially electrical. It functions through Sodium and Potassium ions which are either allowed in or expelled. These are transmitted through channels, called axons. If I understand it properly, neurons function rather like capacitors, where they get a certain charged based on the flow of Sodium and potassium ions. Once they hit a certain charge they are likely to fire, this charge grows until they absolutely fire. They receive charge from other neurons on one side, and send charge to other neurons when they fire.

In this way a group of neurons fires up or dampens the neurons around it. Where the neurons ‘talk’ to each other are called the synapses. The spaces between them are called synaptic gaps. They can be either exciting neurons next to them to chatter, or shushing them to quiet down. Some interesting side notes here, epilepsy is essentially when the neurons fire wildly, creating almost an electrical storm in the brain. Multiple Sclerosis on the other hand is a degradation of the sheath that insulates the axon. Very much like a wire that has no plastic insulation left, it is likely to short or not transmit its charge, causing difficulty in speech and muscle control.

The way neurons fire, or don’t fire is wound up in how we remember things as well as how we think. It seems that these processes are not completely understood. In general the brain seems to have different departments that manage certain functions. But the brain is rather remarkable in being able to retrain other areas to take over these functions when injured. We will look closer at the ingress and egress of potassium and sodium tomorrow.