Medicine Neurology
The Anatomy of The Neuron
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The Anatomy of the Neuron
A neuron is made up of three parts, the soma, which is the nucleus of the cell; the dendrite, which is the fiber that connects and transports information to the collection point; and the third part is the axon which transports information away from the cell to other parts of the body such as organs. Dendrites receive a chemical signal from cells, then convert it to an electrical impulse and transport it to the cell body if the impulse is strong to trigger an action potential. The soma does not act on the electrical signal produced. However, it provides necessary ingredients, such as proteins which fuel the cell and facilitate the action potential of the Neuron (Buckner & Dinicola, 2019). The axon acts as the connection gap to the neurotransmitters in the synapse, which fire to transmit impulses to the other neurons through the Ranvier nodes.
Components of Subcortical Structure
The major components of subcortical structures are the diencephalon, pituitary gland, limbic structures, and basal ganglia. These parts of the brain are involved in memory and hormone production. The hippocampus part of the brain plays a role in encoding relationships between events and cues, thus retention of memory about events. Dopamine and acetylcholine are the neurotransmitters in the brain's nigral striatal part responsible for motor control.
Javed & Cascella (2020) acknowledge that glia in the central nervous system provides physical and chemical support to the neuron to help them thrive in their environment. There are different types of glial cells, and all have different functions. Glia cells include astrocytes, microglia, radial glia, ependymal cells, and oligodendrocytes. Astrocytes, for instance, perform activities such as the regulation of neurotransmitters. They regulate blood flow in the brain as well as regulating metabolism in the brain (Javed & Cascella, 2020).
Neurons communicate through a mechanism identified as an action potential. Generally, between two neurons is a synapse that has the neurotransmitters. When one neuron is activated, and the active potential membrane reaches a threshold, it is fired to release some neural chemical that fires up through the synaptic cleft to release a neurotransmitter that attaches to the neurotransmitter receptor. Upon combining with the receptor, this charge is then converted into a chemical that breaks down at the synapse of the following nerve, thus transferring information between two neurons.
According to Mateos & Rodríguez (2019), neuroplasticity is the ability of the nervous system to reorganize its connections, structure, and functions after an external or internal stimulus. Internal stimuli are conditions related to the disease that change the body's performance, while external stimuli are perceptions associated with how we perceive our surroundings. Neuroplasticity typically can result from two mechanisms: neuronal regeneration and functional reorganization. Neuroplasticity example is like in the case of how the body and mind adjust after a stroke incident.
References
Buckner, R. L., & Dinicola, L. M. (2019). The brain's default network: Updated anatomy, physiology, and evolving insights. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 20(10), 593–608. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-019-0212-7
Javed, N, S., & Cascella, M. K. (2020). Globus pallidus Definitions. https://doi.org/10.32388/qswfgc
Mateos, A, P., & Rodríguez, M, A. (2019). The impact of studying brain plasticity. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2019.00066
