Neurophysiology of brain function: An overview

Virtually all behavior can be described as either “twitching or dripping”. By twitching we mean muscle movements as simple as walking or running, or highly intricate movements used for precise control of our vocal chords and speech articulators. Movement is directed by specialized centers high in the cerebral cortex and operate through action of nerve cells (neurons): electrical impulses pass along a myelin sheath (a protein covering the axons of nerve cells), and cause neurochemicals (neurotransmitters) to communicate across synapses (small gaps between neurons) onto the dendrites of the next neuron. This process repeats itself throughout the nervous system, carrying messages to and fro, making analyses and decisions for action. In addition to neurotransmitters thousands of other chemical substances — hormones, enzymes, metabolites — “drip” in the nervous system influencing the way we think, the way we act, and the way we feel. It is up to the neurophysiologists and neuropsychologists among us to determine what the brain cells are doing, where they are doing it, and how.