Some of the chemicals are excitatory: their presence makes the neuron more likely to act. The amount of chemicals received by certain neurons is an analog quantity – that is to say, it cannot be measured with absolute precision it is not discrete. The inputs received by the neuron (via the dendrites) are chemical in nature. All body functions, from breathing to speech to digestion, can be analyzed in this way.Īt the risk of comparing the brain to a stereo system, a part of neuronal function is an analog to digital conversion. This is called a functional analysis of the brain: the nervous system takes in sensory information about its surroundings from the peripheral nervous system, processes the information, and then transmits information to muscles, coordinating an output based on the inputs. That may sound simplistic, but ultimately, movement – or more accurately, behavior – is the primary function of the nervous system”. As explained by Carlson in Foundations of Physiological Psychology, an entry-level neuroscience text, “the brain is the organ that moves the muscles. To understand the neuron better, it may help to study the basic function of the brain, which is a part of the central nervous system. All the neurons in the body make up the nervous system. Neurons are responsible for the body’s gathering, processing, and transmission of information (see Fig.

Figure 1: Neurons are extremely important in connecting the nervous system, from the brain to the rest of the body.

From neuron to brain 5th edition