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Explain the action potential?

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Explain the action potential?

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Sure, I'd be happy to explain the action potential.

  1. Resting Potential: Before the action potential starts, a neuron is in a state of "resting potential" with a charge of about -70 millivolts (mV). This means the inside of the neuron is slightly more negative than the outside. This resting potential is maintained by ion pumps and channels that regulate the movement of sodium and potassium ions in and out of the cell.

  2. Depolarization: When a neuron receives a signal and it's strong enough to pass the threshold of excitation, the neuron undergoes depolarization. Sodium channels open, allowing positively-charged sodium ions to rush into the cell. This makes the inside of the neuron more positive than the outside, causing the neuron to become excited.

  3. Propagation of the Action Potential: The change in charge spreads down the length of the neuron, like a wave, this is the actual action potential.

  4. Repolarization: After the wave passes, the sodium channels close and potassium channels open. Potassium ions rush out of the cell, returning the charge to a more negative state. This is called repolarization.

  5. Hyperpolarization and Refractory Period: Sometimes, too many potassium ions leave the cell, causing it to be more negative than the resting potential, this is hyperpolarization. The neuron can't fire another action potential during this time, this is known as the refractory period.

  6. Return to Resting Potential: The sodium-potassium pump works to bring the neuron back to its resting potential so it can fire another action potential if necessary.

This entire process happens very quickly, in about a few milliseconds, and allows neurons to send signals throughout the body to respond to stimuli.

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Similar Questions

Describe the events involved in the generation and propagation of an action potential.

Receptor potential initiated by an adequate stimulus:- a- develops always at it full magnitudesb- undergoes temporal summation onlyc- undergoes spatial summation onlyd- could initiate an action potential

Complete the sentences describing the events that occur during an action potential.An action potential will not occur unless the membrane potential at the (the initial segment of the axon) reaches a level called .When threshold is reached, of the initial segment open briefly, allowing to diffuse into the cell.As these ions enter the cell, the cell membrane undergoes , with the membrane potential increasing to a peak of approximately +30mV.As the peak of the action potential is reached, the sodium channels close and the open, allowing these ions to diffuse out of the cell.As cations leave the cell, the membrane potential at that part of the membrane once again becomes negative. This phase of the action potential is called , because the resting membrane potential is being reestablished.The membrane potential actually dips lower than -70mV because the potassium channels do not close quickly enough. This phase is called .

8. The Action PotentialAn action potential is a large and rapid transient increase in membrane potential. It begins with themembrane potential at its resting level (i.e., at the resting potential). There is then an increase inmembrane potential from the resting level to a threshold potential. At this point there is a large and rapidincrease in membrane potential called a depolarisation. The membrane potential reaches a peak and thenbegins to decrease again. This decrease is called a repolarisation. At the end of the repolarisation phase,the membrane potential actually goes below the resting membrane potential. This is called ahyperpolarisation. Membrane potential then rises again to the resting potential level.9The changes in membrane potential during an action potential are the result of Na+ moving into the cellthrough voltage-gated Na+ channels and K+ moving out of the cell through voltage-gated K+ channels.In order for Na+ to move from the extracellular fluid (ECF) through the Na+ channel into the cytosol, itmust pass through two gates within the Na+ channel: first it must move through the activation gate andthen through the inactivation gate. The Na+ channel activation gate is closed when the membranepotential is at the resting level. As the membrane potential increases from the resting potential to thethreshold potential, activation gates in some Na+ channels begin to open. Once the membrane potentialreaches the threshold potential, the activation gates in all Na+ channels open (very rapidly).The Na+ channel activation gate will close again once the membrane potential falls back to the thresholdpotential during the hyperpolarisation phase.The inactivation gate in the Na+ channel is open at the resting membrane potential.As the depolarisation progresses and begins to approach the peak level of depolarization, the inactivationgate begins to close (they close slowly).The Na+ channel inactivation gate will open once more when the membrane potential begins to drop inthe early part of the repolarisation phase (just after the peak membrane potential has been achieved.In order for K+ to leave the cell it must pass through the activation gate in the K+ channel. Note that thereis only one activation gate in the K+ channel; there is no inactivation gate in the K+ channel.The K+ channel’s activation gate is closed at the resting membrane potential. It opens slowly during thedepolarisation phase.The K+ channel activation gate will close once more when the membrane potential begins to drop in theearly part of the repolarisation phase (just after the peak membrane potential has been achieved

n action potential is triggeredQuestion 6Answera.only when we want it to be triggeredb.due to a change in the voltage across neuron membranec.in neurons and neuroglia

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