The Action Potential: Signals in the Brain

http://www.suite101.com/content/the-action-potential-signals-in-the-brain-a371804

In a living organism, neurons react when a flow of synaptic inputs attach onto the dendrites and cell bodies from other neurons. Synaptic is the way the neurons communicate with each other. The neurons also react to the receptor potential generated by the sensory glands. These activations are called action neurons. When this occurs there is a short change in the electrochemical charge that goes across the neurons cell membrane. This short change in charge activates resting neurons and causes excitation. What causes the action potential work? The axon is the long, thin, cylinder structure of the neuron that separates the several branches and ending in the terminal buttons. This is the channel that the action potential or nerve impulse is carried. The small short change in the electrical charge is carried away from the neurons body and down the axon and onto the branches it breaks into it. When does a change in electrical charge occur? When the neurons are at rest and are more negatively charged than the neurons outside the cell membrane. When this occur the electrical charge that crosses the cell membrane is shortly reversed. The brain is an amazing tool! It knows when to repair itself and how to communicate with other parts of our bodies. I couldn't imagine what would happen if it didn't work properly.