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Looking through my notes from class over the last few weeks, there seems to be a reoccurring theme--how does that happen??!!  I have a difficult time grasping how neurons are able to communicate so quickly (how quickly, I wonder) and with such precision.  There is not a moment when there is not some sort of sensory input that the brain has to process so what happens in the case of Christopher Reeves, for example, to the neurons that are below where he severed his spinal cord?  Is there no way for them to communicate with the neurons above, even if it's in a round-about way?  One other comment in my notes was regarding how pain or sensation is felt and perceived.  How does the brain know that touching a pan in a hot oven causes someone to feel pain?  Feelings intrigue me as they do not seem so cut and dry, and shape who our "selves" are/is and how we change with time and experience.  Is there a genetic aspect to this development?