Neuron
Nerve cells known as neurons are responsible for sending signals to the
body due to a stimulus. These form over 13 trillion connections in our
brains. Each transmits electric impulses through neurotransmitters,
natural chemical messengers. The signal travel through the axon terminal
to the terminal buttons where the neurotransmitters are released. These
then travel through the synapse, the gap between neurons, to the
synaptic membrane where the message is then passed on. The
neurotransmitters which remain in the synapse will be broken down by
enzymes or reabsorbed by the terminal button.
Antonova used a double-blind experiment with a sample of twenty
healthy men, to study the impact of neurotransmitters on neurons. The
participants were randomly divided between two conditions. The first
sample was injected with scopolamine, an acetylcholine antagonist,
whereas the second one was injected with a placebo.
The participants were put into an fMRI where they were scanned while
playing a virtual reality game known as ‘the area task’. The goal was for
the participants to navigate around a field to find a pole. Once the pole
was located, the screen would go blank for 30 seconds, after which the
participant was found at a new starting point where they would have to
use their spatial memory to work out how to get to the pole.
The results of this study concluded that when the neurotransmitters
are not able to send the signals to neurons, the body’s response to the
stimulus is compromised.
Nerve cells known as neurons are responsible for sending signals to the
body due to a stimulus. These form over 13 trillion connections in our
brains. Each transmits electric impulses through neurotransmitters,
natural chemical messengers. The signal travel through the axon terminal
to the terminal buttons where the neurotransmitters are released. These
then travel through the synapse, the gap between neurons, to the
synaptic membrane where the message is then passed on. The
neurotransmitters which remain in the synapse will be broken down by
enzymes or reabsorbed by the terminal button.
Antonova used a double-blind experiment with a sample of twenty
healthy men, to study the impact of neurotransmitters on neurons. The
participants were randomly divided between two conditions. The first
sample was injected with scopolamine, an acetylcholine antagonist,
whereas the second one was injected with a placebo.
The participants were put into an fMRI where they were scanned while
playing a virtual reality game known as ‘the area task’. The goal was for
the participants to navigate around a field to find a pole. Once the pole
was located, the screen would go blank for 30 seconds, after which the
participant was found at a new starting point where they would have to
use their spatial memory to work out how to get to the pole.
The results of this study concluded that when the neurotransmitters
are not able to send the signals to neurons, the body’s response to the
stimulus is compromised.
