These signals, or brain-wave patterns, are in the range of microvolts. Figure 1 shows two neurons with dendrite-axon contacts called synapses. During the first nine months of life, these neurons form at the astounding rate of 25,000 per minute. Dendrites Figure 1. Two neurons are shown, representing the ten billion cells within the brain.
Axons are fibers that interconnect the cells.
The number of branching dendrites is large and variable. Each neuron is in dendritic contact with perhaps 10,000 other neurons. Actually, it is a much greater number, since the neurons also show intermediate firing states, somewhat like a light-dimmer switch. Consequently, the brain shows both digital and analog characteristics. Thus, the storage capacity of this supercomputer is 1,000 times less than that of the human brain.