The truth is
we don’t really know how it works
the brain is composed
of several types of cells
some providing structural
or support functions,
but it is the
neuron
that gives rise
to the mind
Neurons talk to
other neurons via
electrochemical messaging:
an electric signal is generated
that tells the cell to
//////fire, or
//////not fire
a chemical message to the next cell
These conversations happen
at synapses
where the cells transport
said chemicals
back and forth between
the two (or more) cells
communication happens
when the chemicals
bind to receptors on either side
These signals are then interpreted
in a process not fully understood
before the conversation resumes
now involving the next cell
taking the information it has received
(sometimes from multiple sources)
it makes a decision to
//////fire, or
//////not fire
a chemical message to
other cells
via generation of an electrical impulse
and so on and so on
Then in the midst of all this
electrochemical messaging
this thing called
consciousness
happens
If you KNOW you are reading this
then you know what consciousness is,
and I won’t bother to explain
(If you don’t, smash your head through the nearest
window, and feel your nerves scream)
but the truth is
we don’t really know
how it works
You see,
the “electro-” part of this messaging
is always driven by the same
//////ions
//////voltage differentials
//////all-or-nothing response
so that the secret to this whole process
is somewhere between the
frequency of these events and
the complexity of the chemical messaging
When the frequency changes
so does the chemical environment
such that all of the
minute differences
in the chemical environments
between the 100 billion
neurons in your brain
are interpreted in such a way
that makes not only
//////consciousness
possible, but also these things:
//////breathing
//////seeing
//////sleeping
//////eating
//////fucking
//////learning
//////thinking
Yet the same neurons
in the brains of animals
with the same
electrochemical messages
DON’T give rise
to the mind
meaning the sum is greater than its parts…
or we don’t understand
what we’re talking about
Take some drugs
throw them in the mix
could be anything
//////caffeine
//////alcohol
//////methamphetamine
like the messengers in your brain,
drugs are chemicals
that change the
tone
of the conversation
at the synapse
When you give animals drugs
they tend to have stereotyped responses
across subject and dose
however
things get more complicated
when the drugs are working on
a brain
and
a mind
neuromantic.net 