How the Nervous System works and How Drugs Affect It
The nervous system is the control system and the network of communication for the body. All of our thoughts, and behavior can be traced to the activity of a neuron. A typical neuron has three important parts: first a cell body, second dendrites and last an axon. All three parts are important for our daily functions. Drugs however such as cocaine can alter these actions and have short and long term effects that aren't always the best feeling. . The nervous system is made up of nerves, the spinal cord and the brain. The nerves control everything we do; they carry messages that tell us to move, to breathe, to feel and to think. Nerves run to the muscles, organs, heart, lungs, blood vessels, brain-even to our teeth and skin. Neurons are the specialized cells that conduct impulses through the nervous system. There are about 100 billion neurons in just the brain. A neuron has three parts that make it up, a cell body, which carries metabolic functions, dendrites being branched fibers which are the primary receivers of the impulses from other neurons, and axons that are slender tail
like extensions that are the transmitting end that sprouts into many braches each ending in an axon terminal. Axon terminals are what transmits signals to the dendrites or cell bodies of other neurons, muscles, glands and so forth. Amazingly the billions of neurons are not physically connected. The way the neurons communicate is possible because of the synapse. The synapse is where the axon of a sending neuron joins the receiving neuron across the synaptic cleft. All neurons travel by being fired by biological electricity, because the body has ions that have positive and negative charges. Neurons that are negative charged are not firing which is called resting potential. When the reversal of resting potential occurs the neuron fires, this is called action potential. The action potential operates according to the "all or none" law a neuron either fires completely or it doesn't fire at all. Once the neuron is fired it is ready to pass what ever message it caries This is how our messages are passed. When dealing with drugs it can be pretty scary because drugs can alter some of the actions described above. Dr
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Approximate Word count = 751
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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