9781422280348

Cerebral Palsy and Other Traumatic Brain Injuries

Whether you are aware of it or not, every physical action you take requires instructions from the brain.

Inside Your Head The brain manages all these tasks by sending commands and messages using special cells called neurons . Like tiny communication devices, neurons “talk” to one another using electrical signals and chemicals called neurotransmitters. The cell body of the neuron sends these signals down a long, thin extension called an axon . Axons, which when bundled together are called nerves , are like the electrical cables of your brain and central nervous system. Some axons are up to three feet long! At the other end of the axon, the messages are received by a different kind of extension that branches out from other neurons. These branching receptors

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