Question: how are the electrons in the brain made

James Stovold answered on 8 Mar 2013:

Hi swaggymcyoloswag69,

The electrons that are in your brain are bound to various atoms (most notably calcium, potassium and sodium). Most of the time, these atoms are ionised (they have extra or too few electrons than normal), and it is the movement of these ions that causes the electrical changes and pulses in your brain. In more electrical terms, the cell wall (which is an insulator) separates the inside of the cell from the outside of the cell (which are both conductors). This has the effect of creating a capacitor (just like those in an electrical circuit). When you have a capacitor, you can create an electrical potential, which means that there is a difference between the total charge on one side of the wall to the other (because there are more positive ions on one side). This is how neurons can build up an electrical charge, so rather than the neurons making electrons, they just use the electrons that are already there, bound to other atoms instead.

Hope that helps!

James