Skip to content

To Fire or Not to Fire, That is the Question

Our neurons are decisive and action oriented.  There’s no maybe in their language.  They decide to either fire, or not and there’s no in between.  HOW they decide this is a wonderful miracle.  Each neuron has a threshold of stimulation that must be exceeded for the neuron to decide the signal is worth sending to the next neuron.  Our axon hillock is the magical juncture where all this happens.  Here’s the amazing part, each neuron can change its threshold based on the situation, the stimulus, and the environment.  Studies done on female rats show that they have a natural arch reflex in their backs ONLY when they ovulate and have extra estrogen in their systems.  The extra levels of hormones redefine their neural thresholds.   We know that diet, exercise, meditation and other factors can change our hormonal environments as well.  So how responsive our nervous system is can be influenced by our lifestyle and choices.  The more you take care of your stress level, the more you can influence the environment of your nervous system.  How are you contributing today in a heathy way to your neural activity?

Back To Top
Search