Page 6 - Strength Based Approach to Executive Function Skills DRAFT
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How the Brain Develops Part 2
Neurons: the amazing brain cell
Our brain is made up of lots of cells called
neurons.
Neurons are shaped a bit like a tree, with
a main trunk (the axon)
and branches (called dendrites).
Neural Firing: the brain’s postal system
Whenever we think, do or say
anything, neurons pass
information to each other through
an electrical signal.
It’s a bit like a letter in the post – information starts in one place and
travels to another.
When a neuron fires an electrical signal, it travels down the trunk of
the neuron and releases special brain chemicals called
‘neurotransmitters’.
These brain chemicals and the ‘branches’ of the neuron help the
signal to travel across a gap (called the synapse) to the next neuron.
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