Connections in the Brain!

The brain is like a computer inside our body. To operate this computer, individual cells called neurons form upwards of 100 trillion connections with each other. These neurons are constantly working together in complicated circuits – similar to the circuits inside our computers, cell phones, and tablets. But for this biological computer to work, neurons need to communicate and one thing that they all share in common is that they love to chit-chat!

So how do neurons talk to each other? Neurons communicate by releasing chemicals, called neurotransmitters, into the small space in between them, the synapse. And when we say small space, we mean super small. For perspective, the synapse is 5,000 times smaller than the thickness of a single sheet of paper! Chemicals quickly diffuse from one neuron to the next, carrying with them a neural message. Imagine a baseball game. The game begins when the pitcher throws the baseball to the catcher, who (hopefully) catches it. In the diagram below, the blue neuron throws the neurotransmitters (red balls) to the yellow neuron, who catches or receives them.

Neurotransmitters can initiate a wide range of actions. They can tell the receiving neuron to pass the message on to another cell. Or the signals can say “stop” and can terminate the message. Along with other neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and adrenaline, these intricate signals contribute to how we feel and function on a day-to-day basis! And believe it or not, there is an entire miniature universe within the synapse. The microenvironment in between two neurons is filled with many different proteins that ultimately help signals (1) travel out of one neuron, and (2) dock at just the right spot on the receiving neuron. Together this cellular machinery enables our wired brain to work quickly and efficiently, just like a computer.