Neurons, Neurons, and More Neurons

Pipe Cleaner Neuron

We started this day with a debate: if you were going to get a neurological disease in the future, would you want to know now?  Two pairs of monks came up the front of the class:  one pair wanted to know and the other pair did not want to know.  I had the translator whisper to me what was said because I did not want to interrupt the debate.  Both sides made valid points and there was no winner or loser.

Nerve cells and neurotransmission were up next.  I started with the basic structure of a neuron:  dendrites, cell body, axon and terminal.  We modeled neurons three ways.  The first way was the most simple.  We used our arms and hands (fingers = dendrites; hand = cell body; arm = axon; elbow = terminal).  The second way was with a piece of string that is pulled in a pattern to make the shape of a neuron.  The last way was by building neurons from pipe cleaners.

Pipe Cleaner Neuron

I made a strategic decision to skip how neurons generate an electrical potential and so I just mentioned that neurons send signals using an electric signal.  I also mentioned that the signal between neurons was chemical in nature.  Before I could get much further, one monk asked how a neuron could generate electricity.  So I had to backtrack and explain ions and ion concentrations, the sodium-potassium pump and ion channels.  This discussion was a bit difficult for many of the monks who have never had a chemistry class.  However, I think they understood that the inside of a neuron was more negative than the outside of a neuron and that when specific ion channel open and close you get the electrical signal (action potential).

String Neuron

We also modeled electrical and chemical signaling using a giant neuron we made out of tubing, pipe cleaners, a tube and plastic cup.  For neurotransmitters, we used orange ping pong balls.  We also used the ping pong balls to have a race:  each monk became a neuron with a neurotransmitter.  The race was to see which team could get their signal from one end of the neuron chain to the other end.  It took a few practice attempts before everyone got the hang of it.

The lessons ended with a discussion of conduction velocity (speed of electrical signals) and the importance of myelin.   

During tea break, several monks had more questions for me – the monks always have more questions for me.