Page 179 - The Miracle of Hormones

Communication in Nerve Cells

Until recently, the communica-
tion junctions among neurons were
thought to be stable, but once again
scientists have been surprised by the
fact that the shape of synapses
change according to the structure of
the chemical messenger. Professor
Eric Kandel received the Nobel Prize
in 2000 for this discovery. This ex-
pert design can be summarized as
follows: there exists a mechanism in
Professor Eric Kandel
the synapse that alters the form of
the synapse according to the
strength of the stimulus. When it receives a powerful stimulus, the syn-
apse makes it possible for this stimulus to be transmitted to other cells,
undiminished, and in the most productive way. Another important point
to be emphasized is that this system was understood after experiments on
sea slugs. Professor Kandel himself confessed that the nervous system in
human beings and mammals is too complex for research to understand
completely. 67

Chemical Communication in Neurons

Most people think that the connection between neurons is estab-
lished only by electric signals. This is not true, since chemical communi-
cation is an important part of this process. When we investigate the
communication between two neurons, we understand better the won-
derful elements in chemical communication.
The chemical communication involves of messenger molecules
called "neurotransmitters." These are produced in the body of the nerve
cell, carried along the axon, and stored in tiny vesicles on the axon termi-
nals. In each vesicle there are about five thousand units of transmitter. 68

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