Chapter 2

This chapter was my favorite so far! (I know there have only been 2 others, but I seriously love this stuff!) The brain absolutely fascinates me. I can't really wrap my mind around how something could be created so perfectly; to work in tune with our bodies and surroundings, help keep us alive, tell us when things go wrong, etc. etc. etc. I have read quite a bit of school material on the brain both last year in anatomy and this summer in my nursing assistant class, but I never really get tired of it!

Three things I learned from this chapter were how antagonist molecules inhibit neurotransmission, how polarization within an axon works, and about the different types of neuroimaging techniques.

I had heard of antagonist molecules being present in certain foods, like canned foods, but I didn't quite understand how they worked. Antagonists are structured similar to neurotransmitters, so they can block a receptor site but not stimulate it's receptor. Obviously, this creates a type of paralysis. When many antagonists are present, this becomes a major problem.
Neural polarization works like this: Neuron stimulation creates a brief change in electrical charge within a neuron. If the change is substantial enough, it will produce depolarization and action potential. Action potential is a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. This creates a chain reaction to the rest of the body, helping us to detect stimuli.
Finally, I learned about the three main types of neuroimaging techniques used. PET scans(positron emission tomography) show consumption of each brain's chemical fuel-sugar glucose.
MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) scan the brain by putting it in a strong magnetic field which aligns the spinning atoms of brain molecules. A radiowave momentarily distorts them, and they then give a detailed pictures of the brains soft tissue once they resume their regular spinning.
fMRIs (functional MRI) can tell us about the brains functioning as well as it's structure. It shows where the brain is most active by showing us blood flow. As a person performs different mental functions, esearchers can watch the brain "light-up" with bloodflow. This helps lead to discoveries about how the brain works and where it works most!

These things all interest me not only because they're fun to read about, but because they happen in my body every day. I think it's important that we all have at least a little conception of what our brain is doing or how it is made up. Without any type of knowledge about our own brains, we may underestimate (or overestimate) our abilities. It is also easier to understand why you feel certain ways when you understand things like hormones, etc.