Neuron

brain · electricity · communication · super smart

Firing electric signals. Neurons are like tiny biological lightning bolts. They create electric signals called action potentials that travel along their long branches, allowing your brain and body to send messages at super-fast speeds.

Building the nervous system. Billions of neurons link together to form neural networks in your brain and throughout your body. These networks are what let you think, remember, move your muscles, and sense the world around you.

Connecting at synapses. Neurons don't actually touch each other. Instead, they connect at tiny gaps called synapses, where they release special chemicals called neurotransmitters to pass their electric messages from one neuron to the next.

Receiving and sending. Each neuron picks up signals from other neurons and conducts them through its own body, then passes them on to the next cell. This relay system is how your nervous system carries information everywhere it needs to go.

Chemical messengers. The synaptic gap between neurons is filled with neurotransmitters, tiny chemical packets that bridge the gap and translate the electric signal so the next neuron can understand it and fire too.