Top 25 Amazing Facts About Neuron | Amazing Facts 4U
- The nervous system is a complex structure of nerves of neurons that transmit signals around the body to coordinate actions akin to electrical wiring.
- Nerves are enclosed bundles of long fibers called axons which are made up of nerve cells. There are two types of nerve cells: neurons and glial cells.
- About 90% of the nervous system is made up of glial cells. That means for every ten glial cells there is only one neuron! Glial cells are specialized cells that provide structure and support to neurons. They help hold neurons in place, supply nutrients to neurons, destroy germs, and remove dead neurons.
- Some types of glial cells generate a substance called myelin that coats axons and works as electrical insulation to help them quickly and efficiently transmit signals.
- The cell bodies of neurons vary in diameter from 4 microns (brain) to 100 microns (motor neuron in the spinal cord).
- The longest neuron in our body runs from the big toe to the base of our spine. It is over a meter long!
- The longest axon of a neuron in the animal kingdom is found in a giraffe which is amazingly around 15 feet (from toe to neck).
- Neurons quickly and precisely send signals as electrochemical waves along axons to other cells. There are two types of neurons, sensory neurons, and motor neurons.
- Sensory neurons change light, touch, and sound into neural signals which are sent back to our CNS to help our body understand and react to its surroundings.
- Motor neurons transmit neural signals to activate muscles or glands for specific actions.
- Amazingly there are approximately 100 billion neurons in the human brain. There are as many neurons in the human brain as stars in the Milky Way.
- Our spinal cord has about 13.5 million neurons.
- Amazingly an octopus brain has about 300 billion neurons making it so intelligent!
- Each single brain neuron has from 1,000 to 10,000 connections with other neurons, making up to 10 trillion neuron connections possible.
- A piece of brain tissue just the size of a grain of sand contains 100,000 neurons and 1 billion synapses.
- There are as many as 10,000 specific types of neurons in the brain for specific functions.
- Amazingly neurons develop at the rate of 250,000 neurons per minute during early pregnancy.
- A stimulating environment for a child can make the difference between a 25% greater ability to learn or 25% less in an environment with little stimulation.
- Humans continue to make new neurons throughout life in response to mental activity.
- Brain messages travel between neurons in just one-thousandth of a second.
- Information through neurons can be transmitted as slowly as 0.5 meters/sec or as fast as 120 meters/sec.
- While awake, our brain neurons generate between 10 and 25 watts of power or enough energy to power a light bulb.
- Nerves in our bodies are vulnerable to both physical damage and damage through diseases. Damage to nerves can cause great pain, loss of feeling, or loss of muscle control.
- Alcohol interferes with brain processes by weakening connections between neurons by damaging the connective tissue at the end of neurons.
- Most amazing thing is that the brain in our head isn’t our only brain. There’s a “second brain” in our intestines that contain 100,000 neurons. Gut bacteria are responsible for making over 30 neurotransmitters including the “happy molecule” serotonin.
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