To learn something, we need the right hemisphere more, but when we reach a certain level of proficiency, those activities become controlled by the left hemisphere.
Neurons are the specific cells of our brain. We have 100 billion neurons. There is a minimum of 1000 connections or synapses per neuron. The synapse allows communication between neurons. This ability to communicate with each other is specific to nerve cells or neurons.
The cell body of the neuron gives rise to two types of cell processes: the axon and the dendrites.
The axon: is the pathway through which information is transmitted from one neuron to another, from the presynaptic cell to a postsynaptic cell, thanks to the connection or synapses they establish.
Dendrites: they are extensions of the cell body, they divide like the branches of a tree and act as receptors for signals from other neurons.
The dendrites are the inputs while the axons represent the outputs. After traveling through the axon, and when reaching the end of a neuron, the electrical signal causes small vesicles that contain the neurotransmitter (chemical) to open. This diffuses through the intercellular space and reaches the membrane of the next cell where it generates a new electrical signal, through very complex but well known mechanisms.
Since the signals that are transmitted by the axon are electrical signals and since the length of the axon is important (compared to the thousandth of a millimeter that the body of a neuron has), nature has created an insulating envelope that completely surrounds the axon . This insulator is made up of cells, called Schwann cells, which contain myelin (a highly insulating fatty substance) and wrap around the axon, like insulating tape around a wire.
As we can see, communication between neurons is electrical, chemical, and again electrical. This electrical activity can be measured by means of an electroencephalogram (EEG).
The brain waves, coming from the hemispheres and picked up by the EEG, are the reflection of the electrical activity of the brain. These waves have been classified, based on their frequency and the different states of consciousness. Here are the main ones:
There are two major classes of neurons: excitatory neurons and inhibitory neurons that slow down the activity of excitatory neurons.
For a brain to function properly, it is important that there is a certain balance between these two classes of neurons. If there is imbalance, more or less important disorders may appear.
A neuronal imbalance can be corrected thanks to the feedback of the NeurOptimal® method : weak connections are reinforced and gradually balanced, which helps to improve emotional stability and psychological well-being.
