• Question: What is the difference between brain neurons and "normal" neurons?

    Asked by AttilaD on 13 Nov 2020.
    • Photo: Stephen Redmond

      Stephen Redmond answered on 13 Nov 2020:

      Like everything in the body, it’s a bit complicated! All neurons are the same really, and they are all normal! They all trasmit information between two places using small electrical voltage spikes that travel along the length of the neuron. There is no perfect way to tell them apart. Generally, they differ in their shape, length, how many other neurons they connect with, whether they bring information from the senses, or instructions to the muscles/organs, or just pass information between other neurons.

      There are many different types of neurons in the brain. Aside from their shape and their location in the brain, one other way to tell them apart is by the neurotramsitters they use to talk to each other. Neurons transmit information most of the way by travelling electrical spikes, but when the spike reaches the end of the neuron it releases a small molecule called a neurotransmitter that drifts across to nearby neurons and influences how often the spike (i.e., makes them spike more or less often).

      There’s a good description here:
      https://qbi.uq.edu.au/brain/brain-anatomy/types-neurons

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