Nerve cells and nerve impulses are probably one of the
hardest things for me to understand. I love psychology and studying the brain
and what not, but the physiological side of it is just something I do not get.
Something I found very interesting was one part where it talked about local
anesthetic drugs. These drugs, Novocain and Xylocaine, attach to the sodium
channels of the membrane, which then prevents sodium ions from entering and so
stops action potentials. In other, more comprehensible, words when a dentist
applies Novocain before starting work on your teeth, your brain receptors are
sensing the unbearable pain but the axons can't transmit that message to your
brain, which is why you don’t feel a thing. This seemed so interesting to me
because I’ve always wanted to know how anesthetics work. There’s times where
I’ve gotten anesthesia and it fascinates me how I can see the doctor working
and I know it has to be very painful yet I can’t feel a thing. It’s so
interesting how it’s the brain that is the main part in this whole ordeal. The
only reason why you can’t feel any of the pain is because your brain doesn’t
receive the signal that there is pain. Most people don’t really think about
that. It kind of reminds me of people suffering from Alzheimer’s for example.
At the later stages, once they’ve lost most of their brain functioning, they can
no longer walk like they used to before. The reason for this isn’t because they
physically can’t move. The real reason is that the part of the brain
responsible for movement can’t receive the information that it needs in order
for that leg to move.
I know this video is very short but it's a great example of exactly what anesthesia does and how it works on your nerves.
I also found this to be quite fascinating. I myself had never thought about it. I know when someone undergoes a surgery procedure for example anesthesias are given and now that I think about it I had never considered where the pain went. I knew that pain wasn't experienced by the patient but I hadn't considered that it was just being "blocked" and not being allowed to transmit to your brain. I like how you mentioned Alzheimer's. With your example it also got me thinking more profoundly of this subject. All in all great blog :) I look forward to reading your next post!
ReplyDeleteThe use of anesthesia to prevent pain is actually pretty cool. IT amazes me because in actuality we are feeling the pain, at least our bodies are, yet because our brain isn't receiving the proper signal e don't feel a thing. Really amazing stuff right here. This makes me wonder if people with other ailments are going through something similar, their body is receiving the signal but the brain isn't and so they can't see, or hear, or maybe even taste. Considering how small our nerves are I would have to say we take the for granted.
ReplyDeleteI also found it interesting how anesthesia works. I've often wonder how they work and how I could not feel anything while I can clearly see what the doctors were working on. When you mentioned Alzheimer's, someone who is a paraplegic. They know that their feet is there but they could not move nor feel that they are there. their motor and sensory functions doesn't send anything to the brain due to an injury they've had on their spine cord.
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