Biology

how do nerves work?

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Simply put, the nerves running throughout the body (like a spiderweb or a network of spiderwebs) act as an electrical grid. Nerve cells have long extensions (like antennas) and these neurons reach out to the next neurons (these are called dendrites and axons) but don't quite touch. These gaps are called synapse. Electrical impulses jump the gap using chemical transmitters which are manufactored by the neuron. The electrical impulses come from a change in the charges across a cell membrane. The neuron cell is semi-permeable which means that some ions can pass through and others can't. When a neuron transmits information a stimulous triggers the neuron to depolarize and an action potential fires, sending the message.