Neural Communication!

When we were learning how neurotransmitters are passed from the axon to the dendrite of another cell, binding with a certain receptor, then finally being taken back (reuptake) to the original axon. It's incredible to think that messages are sent in such a small amount of time and held in such a tiny little neurotransmitter.

I also thought it was very cool how each neurotransmitter had a specific receptor it could go with. It shows that there's order in our bodies: it's not just a free for all and a big mess, it's organized and specific. It kind of reminds me of life: there are so many people in the world, yet we really find ourselves only bonding to certain ones. Or even stronger, there's only one key to each lock. I always thought it was pretty cool how no matter how hard you try, no key will fit in two different locks. Maybe that's why I find that aspect of neural communication so fascinating.

Also, I found reuptake to be kind of cool also. At first I was like, "why would they do that?" Then I realized it's kind of like telling someone a secret. When you tell someone something, maybe you write it down, and you hand it to them to show to them but you want it back because it's YOUR SECRET. You want them to know what was written on it, or what you said, but you want to be the owner/keeper of that secret. I'm not sure if that's helpful to any of you but maybe it is!

The whole concept is just cool. If you think about it, this has been going on our whole lives. It occurs all day: while we think about Psychology, do our homework, write out blogs, or even engage in a conversation. Yet it's something that you don't feel and you don't really think "Oh! There goes the reuptake." It just happens. It's even a little freaky: our bodies are doing things all day that we don't notice. Even if we try to focus on it we can't tell what our brain is really doing. SO FASCINATING.

Here's a fun video & image about neural communication in case you totally forgot:

Skip to 6:22 (for those that will actually watch it)