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Neurons Paragraph

Submitted by msalvucci on Wed, 09/12/2018 - 16:09

Neurons communicate in a fascinating way. All neurons have a resting state of -70 mv. When the dendrite is stimulated, positive ions flow into the cell which raises the charge to -65 mv. After this threshold is reached, an action potential is triggered and is sent as a wave down the axon of the neuron. Once the wave reaches the axon terminals, the neurotransmitters are releasd in the synapse. The synapse is the space inbetween one cell's axons and another cell's dendrites. The neurotransmitters will then bind to the receptor sites of the next neuron where the whole process can then start over. However, before starting a new action potential, the neuron must go through a refractory period, that is, a period where the neuron cannot fire again. This allows for the axon to return to it's resting state of -70 mv. 
          A few important neurotransmitters are acetylcholine and serotonin. Acetylcholine is responsible for things such as movement, learning and memory. Having an inbalance of acetylcholine can result in horrible diseases such as Alzheimer's or dementia. Serotonin is also extremely important for one's mood, hunger levels and sleep patterns. Having a shortage of serotonin can result in depression. However, scientists have found different drugs that can mimic seratonin; these can be used as a medication for those who suffer from depression. 

 

 

 

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lmikaelian

Wed, 09/12/2018 - 22:01

This is really good! You demonstrate a clear understanding of the information. I do have a few comments: 

  • Using terms like "fascinating" is just filler. Consider rephrasing your introduction to explain why it's fascinating instead. For example, you might say, "Neurons communicate through electrochemical signalling" or something like that. 
  • The two sentences at the end of the first paragraph can be rewritten to be more concise. 
  • "Can result in horrible diseases" are strong words. There's two reasons why that phrase could be changed. First of all, you don't want to imply that the decreased concentration of this neurotransmitter is the cause of things like Alzheimer's, but you can say that there's a difference. Basically, you can say there's an established connection but you can't implicate it as the cause. Second, in serious writing, you should probably avoid using judgements like "horrible." 
  • Like I mentioned above, you probably can't say that decreased serotonin causes depression. 
  • Maybe you go into this in more detail after this paragraph's cutoff point, but how do medications like SSRIs treat depression? 

Good work!