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Lab One: A beginner’s guide to the spikerbox. Brain Cells need to communicate with each other to control the body . A brain with only one neuron is not a brain. A brain is a network (friendship) of neurons. How do neurons talk?. Method 1: Chemical communication e.g. Bacteria
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Brain Cells need to communicate with each other to control the body A brain with only one neuron is not a brain A brain is a network (friendship) of neurons
How do neurons talk? Method 1: Chemical communication e.g. Bacteria Con: slow, limited by diffusion
How do neurons talk? Method 2: Chemical communication through synapse e.g. stretching the neuron to cover more space Con: still slow, signal must travel long way through cell
How do neurons talk? Method 3: Electrical and chemical combination Electricity carries signal quickly down long axon to synapse, chemical transmission at synapse to the next neuron
Electrical Neural Communication: The Action Potential Action potentials (“spikes”) are generated by Na infusion depolarizing the cell membrane and K expulsion repolarizing it. Spike “moves” as depolarization propagates down axon
Anatomy of the Neuron Wikipedia.org
Model of the nervous system: Discoid cocroach (Blaberusdiscoidalis)
Procedures: Cut off one of roach’s legs near the body (Put petroleum jelly on exposed wound on body and leg, return cockroach to house, leg will grow back if cockroach not full grown adult)
Procedures: Place leg on cork of SpiderBox, with a bit of leg overhang
Procedures: Put one electrode in the femur and the other in the coxa
Procedures: Observe the spike trains, demonstrating neuron communication