#neuroscience #ai # [[Epistemic status]] #shower-thought #to-digest # Related - [[Biology/Neuroscience/Synapse]] - [[Biology/Neuroscience/The end-to-end model of the brain]] - [[Biology/Neuroscience/Neuroscience]] - [[Biology/Neuroscience/Neocortex]] # Neuron A neuron is a specialized type of cell found in all animals. It is responsible for transmitting signals from one part of the body to another, and is the basic unit of the nervous system. Neurons are made up of a cell body, dendrites, and an axon. The cell body contains the nucleus and other organelles, while the dendrites are the branches of the neuron that receive information from other neurons. The axon is the long, thin part of the neuron that transmits signals to other neurons. Neurons communicate with each other by releasing chemicals called neurotransmitters, and the signals they send influence our thoughts, feelings, and actions. If the brain were a chocolate chip cookie and the neurons were chocolate chips, the [[Glia|glia]] would be the cookie dough that fills all the other space and suspends the chips in their appropriate locations.  >The most important component of how brains learn continuously is the **neuron**. When a **neuron** learns a new pattern, it forms new synapses on one dendrite branch. The new [[Synapse|synapses]] don’t affect previously learned ones on other branches. Thus, learning something new doesn’t force the **neuron** to forget or modify something it learned earlier. The artificial **neurons** used in today’s [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] systems don’t have this ability. This is one reason they can’t learn continuously. >~ [[Jeff Hawkins]]