Employees and Interns...

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Greetings! Good to know that you’re enjoying the read and gaining some knowledge. I hope I have convinced you that, science is fun! Last week we read about neurons…today I would like to continue it.

There are 3 main types of people in the world- people who love Pani-Puri, people who hate it, and the rest who don’t know what it is…same goes for neurons…Pani-Puri lovers are “Sensory neurons” they are hooked on its ‘Chatpata taste’. The haters are “Motor neurons” they dare to lift up a hand and refuse the delicacy and the 3rd group who don’t know what it is but still participate, maybe give you company is “Interneurons”. Makes sense right! You need information from your surrounding hence you’ve sensory neurons; once you have the info you need to act on it hence you have motor neurons…and interneurons? They bridge the gap. They are the mediator between sensory and motor. Apart from permanent employees, you have got interns. These interns are known as “Glial cells”. And man, you don’t need me to tell you that interns work harder to support the organization. They are part time postman, part time storage unit, part time food provider and sometimes temporary replacer….they are actually more important than you think. The “Glia” from Greek means “glue”. These intern cells are so important to protect, nourish and support neuronal cells that they are compactly present all over your brain. In the brain, neurons are crystals and glial cells are gel…this organ of your body is a boneless, gooey, sluggish mass. Hence the importance of the skull and head.

Here go some fun facts about our employees and interns. Once the brain cell (neuron) is dead, it’s dead. It cannot be resurrected or reconstructed. But glial cells are regenerated. The process of the birth of the neuron is “neurogenesis”. If you decide to learn new skills, more neurons will be added. If that new skill is “Roti Making”…these neurons will form and disrupt the connections until you learn to make the perfect round roti. Once you have mastered the skill, this neural connection will be perfectly fixed and functioning in your brain. Your hands will receive the perfect pattern of muscle movements and your roti will be nothing but round. ….until of course you want to upgrade your skill or try being creative. Never forget, your brain is plastic and new neurons are generated each time you gather some new skill or experience. Thus, don’t skip the brain exercise and learn something new as often as you can. Your brain might look like an oldie but it’s forever young at heart!