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How visual information travels from the retina through the optic nerve and thalamus to the primary visual cortex. Sensory signals are processed in stages, allowing the brain to interpret and respond to visual input.

Alongside the neurons of the brain, a complex network of supporting cells known as glial cells is necessary to maintain the proper functioning of the central nervous system.

An understanding of the resting membrane potential and how action potentials are generated is key to understanding how information is transmitted in the nervous system.

Neurons can be broadly classified into two functional types, excitatory and inhibitory, based on their neurotransmitters. The balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain is a fundamental principle of neural circuit function.

Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that enable communication between neurons by binding to specific receptors on postsynaptic cells.

The cell bodies of large myelinated axons reside in the grey matter of the spinal cord in the anterior horn. They send their axons out of the ventral root and either directly into peripheral nerves, or nerve plexuses (a branching network of intersecting nerves) which give rise to peripheral nerves.