The nervous system relies upon teeny cells called neurons to function. These cells relay info to each other through a complicated electrochemical process, making connections that impact how we learn, move, think, and behave.
Here’s what that means for your child.
Neurons
A neuron is a nerve cell that carries electrical impulses. The brain has billions of them, and they have certain responsibilities and classifications. For instance, motor neurons transport messages from the brain to the rest of the body. Interneurons connect neurons within the central nervous system. And sensory neurons dispatch data from the eyes, nose, ears, skin, and tongue to the brain
Neurons comprise about 10 percent of all brain cells and are the body’s oldest cells. They can also be quite large; some grow to several feet long. What’s more, neurons have unusual parts called dendrites and axons. Dendrites, which resemble roots growing out of the cell body, bring messages into the nerve. An axon looks like a long stem and carries electrical messages away from the nerve body.
These parts perform like telephone lines in that they enable neurons to communicate messages. Such messages contain information about what’s going on to help you to respond to stimuli appropriately.
However, while neurons connect, they don’t touch. A small gap called a synapse exists between them. When one neuron wants to chitchat with another one, it shoots neurotransmitters into the synapse. Meanwhile, the other neuron gathers up the neurotransmitters and transforms them into an electrical signal that can then be passed along.
Neurons And Children
As far as neurons for kids are concerned, babies and toddlers make synapses like crazy. By age two or three, the number of synapses will have grown from 2,500 per neuron to 15,000
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