Brain cell communication: Why it's so fast

ScienceDaily (2010-10-06) -- Billions of brain cells are communicating at any given moment. Like an organic supercomputer, they keep everything going -- from breathing to solving riddles. And "programming errors" can lead to serious conditions, such as schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Now researchers have described just how nerve cells are capable of transmitting signals practically simultaneously.