How Neurons Communicate

If your body was a spaceship, your brain would be the command center. The neurons in your brain relay messages throughout your body, powering thought into action using both electrical and chemical signals.

If the ship takes damage, such as when you stub your toe, neurons jump into action. Electrical signals called action potentials zoom down sensory neurons and trigger a volley of chemical messages. After crossing the synapse — the gap between neurons — the chemical messages set off action potentials in the next neurons, conveying the message onward. This is how your brain keeps the ship sailing along, and prompts you to grab some ice for your toe.

Click on the targets in the image to explore how neurons communicate.

About the Author

Hannah Zuckerman

Hannah is the former Production and Editorial Associate for BrainFacts.org. She graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 2014 with a degree in history. She previously worked at Princeton University Press and the art magazine Sculpture.