What is a cortical neuron?
Cortical neurons are cells of the largest area of the brain, two hemispheres of the cortex. Most of the comprehensive brain activity enabling thinking, perception and voluntary movement is associated with the activity of these neurons. The brain has more than a dozen types of cortical neurons, widely classified according to whether they activate or inhibit nerve activity. These nerve cells communicate through chemical and electrical signaling and often use molecules called neurotransmitters to send messages at intersections called synapses.
The main functional type of cell brain cell is a cortical neuron. These neurons are packed in the bark, also called gray matter, which is thick up to four millimeters thick after both cerebral hemispheres. Cortical activity of neurons alleviates perception and communication in the brain and also affects the control of musculoskeletal foundations of voluntary movement such as walking. It is important to realize that whistles that many psychophysical phenomena depend on the cortex, no individual rNeither Neither Ne and the individual neuron is responsible for a comprehensive mental activity, which often extends among many different networks of millions of neurons.
Thesurface of the cortex is composed of many grooves of different depths called sulci, allowing a large number of neurons to fit into a relatively small area of the hemispheres. Here the neurons are arranged in six layers. These layers fill different types of cortical neurons, from and to VI, which are identified by laboratory coloring techniques and their different sizes and shapes. Some types of neurons stimulate electric fire and are called excitation neurons; Others stop or slow electrical activity and are considered inhibitory neurons. The third category, interneurons, facilitate communication between these types of neurons.
cortical neurons communicate with each other at intersections called synapses, located on hundreds of places on the outer surface asany of the cells. In the synaptic site, they come close to two cell membranes, and both have a lot of molecular structures called receptors that allow them to receive messages from each other. Electric synapses mediate signals between neurons in the form of a current called action potential, while the chemical synapses rely on neurotransmitters released by one cell and then bind to the other cell in the synapse.
The main excitation types of cortical neurons include pyramidal cells and fenced star cells. The first were named for their triangular cell bodies and have extensive connections with other neurons in and off the bark. Inhibitory neurons come in many varieties, including cups of baskets and chandeliers, and smooth, noiseless star cells, named for their lack of barbed projections to other nerves. Both groups of use of cortical neuronuchemic signaling for interaction with neighboring cells and relying on specialized chemicals called neurotransmitters for this purpose. Excitative neurons often use a glutamate neurotransmitter, while inhibitory cells mostly signal GABA compounds.