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Synapses Essay

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1. The purpose of the synapse is that it is where chemical signals pass between neurons. The synapse is the site where a presynaptic terminal ends close to where a receiving dendrite is. It is not a physical connection between two neurons, which is what most people think. New synapses are formed in response to life experiences. The longer people live and the more life experiences they have the more synapses (connections) they have. If you touched a hot stove, as a child and burnt your hand, you now have a synapse that keeps you from doing that.
2. Neurons help the brain fulfill its functions by conveying information to other neurons. Neurons use electrical signals to let other neurons know certain information. The electrical signal is then turned into a chemical signal so that information is able to be passed to another neuron. The neuron that …show more content…

The blood brain barrier is the layer around the brain which is made up of endothelial cells and protects the neurons and glial cells in the brain from substances that could potentially harm them. The function of the blood brain barrier is just that, a barrier that keeps toxins away from the brain. Unlike some blood vessels in the body, the blood brain barrier keeps away many substances. Only drugs that are fat soluble can penetrate the blood brain barrier. These include drugs of abuse and drugs that treat mental and neurological illness. The blood brain barrier is important for maintaining the environment of the brain for the neurons.
6. An action potential is an electrical impulse that moves along a neuron axon. They enable signals to travel fast along the neuron fiber. They last less than two milliseconds. When information is passed between two neurons, the first neuron gets stimulated and then an action potential happens and the information is in the other neuron. Action potentials result from the flow of ions across the neuronal cell membrane. Without action potentials information would not get to other

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