The Electric Nature of Neurons

Your body is electric. Your nerve cells, called neurons, literally use electrical signals to communicate.

This signal, the action potential, is an all-or-nothing deal. It’s like a light

switch—it either fires at full strength or not at all. There’s no dimmer. This electrical

zap shoots down a long fiber called an axon. When it reaches the end,

it doesn't just jump to the next cell. Instead, it triggers the

release of tiny chemicals called neurotransmitters. These chemicals cross a microscopic

gap and tell the next neuron to fire its own electrical signal. It's a lightning-fast

chain reaction of electricity and chemicals that creates every thought, feeling,