Neurons (Week One)

The neuron is the fundamental cell of the nervous system, it is a communicating cell, which means that the neuron receives and sends messages from one neuron to another neuron. Neurons function (send and retreive messages) in the following way, 1. when the body is introduced to an internal or external stimulus the sensory function of the nervous system is working, sensory(afferent) neurons are sending the messages to the spinal cord and brain which make up the Central Nervous System. Once the brain and spinal cord receive the message it is process and a decision about what needs to take place is put in motion, this is the integrative funcution of the Nervous system, this is where all decisions are made. Once the decision is made interneurons relay the message to the Motor function that is responsible for performing the decided course of action, the neurons that that perform the course of action are efferent neruons. Neurons help the body to produce needed reponses to stimulus's in the internal and external environment.

We see this every day, such as in the way our body response to when we touch something extremely hot. In most cases the message is relayed to the brain and spinal cord before we realize that we have touched something hot. Or when we apply pressure to a part of our body the neurons are constantly moving and informing the brain and spinal cord of changes in or around our body. When we apply pressure to our body the afferent (sensory) neurons are moving toward the brain and spinal cord letting the brain and spinal cord know that that is unusual pressure, the brain and spinal cord receive the message and send it through interneurons to motor (efferent) neurons which produce the movement or action needed to reduce of remove the pressure.