Neuron Research Paper

A neuron is a nerve cell in the brain, it is essentially the building block of the nervous system. Each neuron is itself a miniature decision making device, reacting to signals it receives from hundreds, even thousands of other neurons. Each signal is either excitatory or inhibitory. Excitatory signals increase the likelihood of an action potential happening, inhibitory make an action potential in a nerve cell less likely. The action potential is a nerve impulse. Once the excitatory signals over power the inhibitory signals and action potential is triggered. So the neuron then fires, sending that impulse down its axon, transmitting information to another cell. The firing of a neuron isn’t based on intensity, its an all-or-nothing kind of response. A neuron either fires with a full strength response or it doesn’t fire at all. Once that action potential reaches the end of the axon, our body’s neural system converts that electrical impulse into a chemical impulse. Which is a neurotransmitter. A neurotransmitter is a neuron produced chemical that crossed the synapse to carry
Glutamate is the major excitatory transmitter in the brain and is widely spread throughout it. Glutamate is involved in the most aspects of the brain, including big ones like your memory, learning, and cognition. Too much and too little of glutamate is harmful. Glutamate is both essential to us and highly toxic at the same time. Too much glutamate can lead to over excitation of the receiving nerve cell, but the receptor of glutamate on the receiving nerve cell can be oversensitive, so less glutamate molecules is necessary to excite that cell. Either way any cell activated by glutamate causes over excitement, and this over excitation can lead to cell damage and/or death. Drugs that can effect a person’s Glutamate levels are Ketamine, Phencyclidine, and alcohol. Which raise the levels, making it dangerous on the nerve