Neurons, often referred to as nerve cells, are the primary cells of the nervous system. They are specialized to transmit information throughout the body. Their function is essential for everything from reflexive responses to complex cognitive processes.
Neurons are fundamental to the function of the nervous system, playing a critical role in processing and transmitting information in both simple and complex organisms. They form the basis for everything from basic reflexes to thought, emotion, and consciousness.
Neurotransmitters are the human body’s chemical messengers. These sensory neuron molecules are used by our central and peripheral nervous system to rapidly send messages between muscles and the brain or from neurons to muscles in the body.
The neuro and Gastrointestinal neurotransmitter communication starts in the synaptic cleft of 2 neuron cells. The neural synaptic gap exists between the synapses of neuron cells. All electrical signals generated by neuron cells travel along the axon and then help convert the electrical signals into chemical signals that help regulate the release of neurotransmitters resulting in a movement or desired response. Neurons are specialized nerve cells like neural cells & somatic motor neurons that are responsible for relaying information via neurotransmitter release. A human brain consists of well over 100 billion neurons. A neuron is the basic building foundation of cognitive function and the human nervous system.[1]
Messages for other cells or between neurons are sent across synapses in the brain. The anatomy of neurons is normally composed of a cell body called the axon and appendages known as dendrites. A dendrite could either be single or in multiple numbers. Traumatic Brain injuries or diseases like Alzheimer’s, ALS and Ataxia are caused when the connections between the neurons are damaged. [2]
Our current research suggests that neural derived stem cells can generate most of the various types of neurons found in the brain and the nervous system. This application is critical in regenerative medical therapies offered at the Regeneration Center. [3]
So how do we measure brain activity in people? Recent research indicates that the speed of the signals are variable and can range from milliseconds to a few seconds for neural cells to restore and reuse these powerful chemicals resulting in a nearly endless source of rapid communication. A recent speed test of neurotransmitters demonstrated that a healthy myelinated axon creates an action equivalent to the speed of roughly 120 m/s.
A neurotransmitter helps to influence neurons in one of 3 ways:
As the name sounds, inhibitory transmitters prevents the creation of electrical signals while excitatory transmitters help cause the generation of action potentials ( electrical signal ) in the receiving neurons. The ability to attach to other receptors is determined by which pose the neurotransmitter are in.
Neuromodulating neurotransmitters are slightly different in how they function as they are not limited to remaining in synaptic gaps between two ( A + B) neurons and instead can affect very large quantities of neurons in the body to act at once. Neuromodulators help to regulate large populations of neurons and operate much slower than inhibitory & excitatory neurotransmitters.
In the central nervous system, signaling and interconnections are very complex as electric impulses from one neuron to another may come from:
There are hundreds of types of neural progenitor cells and neurotransmitters but most are generally categorized as:
One of the first and most important neurotransmitters found is a molecule named acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is a small molecule but plays a big role in managing the peripheral nervous system (PNS), where it gets used and released by neurons & motor neurons that make up the autonomic nervous system. Acetylcholine also plays an critical role in maintaining cognitive functions in the CNS. Any damage or disease of neurons in the CNS is associated with traumatic brain injuries and neurodegenerative conditions like Motor Neuron Disease,peripheral neuropathy Multiple Sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. New research is also being done to use Gene Therapy for treating Neurotransmitter Deficiency.
The main excitatory transmitter in the CNS is Glutamate and dopamine.Its a known fact that large amounts of the transmitter glutamate are released during a brain stroke. The main inhibitory neurotransmitters are derivative γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) but other inhibitory neurotransmitters known as glycine are found in the spinal cord and usually damaged during spinal cord injuries. Low levels of dopamine in the body are linked to Parkinson’s disease while high levels of dopamine can result in schizophrenia.
Some Neurotransmitters that are found in the sympathetic nervous system are norepinephrine or Noradrenaline. These transmitters are responsible for the continued activity of organs in the human body to better control things like heart rate, blood pressure and liver function. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for our “fight or flight responses”
Histamine is another type of monoamines and plays a very important role in neurogenesis and helping to regulate our body metabolism, temperature, helping to regulating interactions between hormones, and controlling our sleep-wake cycle which boots circulating stem cells.
Neurons that use the (monoamine) serotonin (another) helps to regulate several parts of the nervous system. Serotonin is crucial in functions such as memory, sleep, mood and appetite. These Neurotransmitters are also produced in our gastrointestinal tract. As medical science has recently learned, that peripheral produced serotonin (or dysfunction in producing these types of transmitters) has been linked to several diseases such as crohn’s, irritable bowel syndrome, cardiovascular heart disease, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.
With each new clinical trial and passing year biologists and neuroscientists are discovering more and more about cell signaling and important chemical messengers that are critical in the proper function of the gut-brain axis that regulates overall bodily function.
To learn more about functional healthcare,stem cell treatments,the missing link, neurons and function of neurotransmitters please contact us today.
[1] ^ Mahasup, Namfon, Paskorn Sritipsukho, Raweewan Lekskulchai, and Tippawan Hansakunachai. 2012. Effects of mirror neurons stimulation on motor skill rehabilitation in children with cerebral palsy: a clinical trial. Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand = Chotmaihet thangphaet. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23964461
[2] ^ Tornero, Daniel, Somsak Wattananit, Marita Grønning Madsen, Philipp Koch, James Wood, Jemal Tatarishvili, Yutaka Mine, et al. 2013. Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cortical neurons integrate in stroke-injured cortex and improve functional recovery. Brain : a journal of neurology, no. Pt 12 (October 21). doi:10.1093/brain/awt278. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24148272
[3] ^ Yan, Yiping, Soojung Shin, Balendu Shekhar Jha, Qiuyue Liu, Jianting Sheng, Fuhai Li, Ming Zhan, et al. 2013. Efficient and rapid derivation of primitive neural stem cells and generation of brain subtype neurons from human pluripotent stem cells. Stem cells translational medicine, no. 11 (October 10). doi:10.5966/sctm.2013-0080. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24113065
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