Chapter 2 On the Brain

This chapter was by far more interesting to me than the others. The brain interests me. I can hardly imagine how something so complex can work to perfectly, and to work in perfect order with the rest of our bodies as well as the outside world. It is just simply amazing how it works so well and it literally controls everything about us. I have done a few research papers on the brain and it still doesn’t get tiring learning about it.One thing I learned about the three useful kinds of neuroimaging techniques used. PET scans (positron emission tomography) show consumption of each brain's chemical fuel-sugar glucose.MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is a imaging technique most commonly used in radiology to visualize the internal structure and function of the body. MRI provides great contrast between the different soft tissues of the body, making it especially useful in neurology, muscles, cardiovascular, and cancer imaging. fMRIs (functional MRI) is a type of specialized MRI scan which can tell us about the brains functioning as well as it's structure. It shows us blood flow so it can map which areas are most active. As different mental functions occur, scientists can see which part of the brain shows more activity.
Secondly, I learned about was antagonist molecules. I knew antagonist molecules were in some foods, but I never knew what they did before. Antagonists pretty close to neurotransmitters, they block a receptor site but do not stimulate its receptor. This, therefore, creates a type of paralysis. With the presence of many antagonists, problems arise more frequently.
Finally, I learned was neural polarization. Neural polarization involves neuron stimulation, which tends to create a brief variation in electrical charge in a neuron. If the variation is large enough, action potential occurs. Action potential is a small electrical charge that travels down an axon. This makes a chain reaction throughout the body, helping our receptors detect stimuli.