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CCSI consortium on Cognitive Science Instruction - Neurons, Synapses, action Potentials, and Neurotransmission - Function of neurons - The central nervous system CNS, Neuron basic information, function and description

"The focus of the study is on the plentiful neurons that communicate with each other through the neurotransmitter glutamate. While glutamate is a necessary excitatory substance in the nervous system, in excess, it overstimulates and becomes toxic - excitotoxic - to neurons. Fortunately, neighboring astrocytes can mop up the excess via molecular transporters embedded in their outer membranes. The chief transporter is a protein called EAAT2. Earlier Rothstein's group showed that astroglia - and their EAAT2 protein - are critical for normal neuron activity. In test rats whose astroglia lack the EAAT2 equivalent there's not only a flood of toxic glutamate but a resulting neuron death that leads to paralysis."

Physiological Reviews - Department of Physiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine - Ischemic Cell Death in Brain Neurons - defining Cell Death - Major Features of Ischemic Cell Death - Ischemic Cell Death and Hypoxia

University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey 2007 Study documents Widespread Repair of Neonatal Brain Injury from Adult Stem Cells - Neuroscientists at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School have discovered that the neonatal brain possesses a previously unknown capacity to replace damaged neurons in multiple brain regions. Furthermore, their research reveals that the production of these new neurons lasts for at least five months following injury.Levison's study reveals that in addition to neurons acquiring new or different responsibilities, that another adaptive response, one that has not been suspected, occurs. Their data show that large numbers of new neurons are produced from the brain's resident stem cells during their recovery from injury. These findings suggest that these new neurons are further increasing the infant brain's ability to repair itself after injury.

Neuroscience for Kids - Types of Neurons (Nerve Cells)

The Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is one of the largest neuroscience research centers in the world. Investigators in the NINDS intramural program conduct research in the basic, translational, and clinical neurosciences. Their specific interests cover a broad range of neuroscience research including molecular biophysics, synapses and circuits, neuronal development, integrative neuroscience, brain imaging and neurological disorders

PubMed Abstract of review article on the role of calcium in ischemic cell death. Review concluded that calcium is one of the triggers involved in ischemic cell death, whatever the mechanism.

The Fern Lab - The Fern lab is located in the Department of Neurology at the University of Washington in Seattle. The lab's research focuses on ischemic injury of the brain, in particular the neonatal/developing brain. Ischemia is the term given to a loss of blood supply and can arise due to obstruction of a blood vessel (leading to a stroke), or from factors that are currently not well understood but which produce the brain injury that underlies cerebral palsy.

Princeton University McDonnell Center for Systems Neuroscience explores the ways in which the brain acquires, modifies and stores information during cognitive processes, efforts that are of critical importance to Princeton scientists as they advance knowledge of neural coding and dynamics.Neural coding refers to the ways in which information is represented in the electrical and biochemical signals in neurons (perception and short-term memory) and the patterns of synaptic connections (long-term memory). Neural dynamics refers to the patterns of nerve cell electrical and chemical activity in which information is created, manipulated, and stored. Neural dynamics are involved in decision-making, planning, and executing sequences of behavior.

Brain Anatomy on Healthline

Brain and cerebellum at Anatomy Atlases

Basal Ganglai made simple at biology.emory.edu (Emory University) Description - Anatomy - Physiology - Function

Definition of basal ganglai at MedicineNet.com

Brain anatomy at nucleus medical media - Nucleus Catalog Medical Reference Library - Brain Anatomy

Neuroscience for Kids - Anatomy of the Brain - Functional Divisions of the Cerebral Cortex

Anatomy of the Brain - Cerebral Cortex at biology.about.com - Includes Function, Location and Images

Study will provide information about changes that occur in the motor neurons of the spinal cord (the nerve cells that control the muscles) when the motor cortex (the region of the brain that controls movement) is unable to send messages to the spinal cord and muscles in the normal way. This information will help elucidate how the nervous system adapts after injury or disease of the motor cortex.