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By a release & subsequent diffusion of chemicals called neurotransmitters across a very small gap between neurons, called a synapse.

How neurotransmitters are released:As an impulse reaches an end of a neuron, called an axon terminal, the impulse opens ion pores in that axon terminal which allows Calcium ions to enter, which cause the movement of small membrane bounded packets of neurotransmitter chemicals, called vesicles (like tiny water balloons), to move to the cell membrane, where the vesicles fuse into the cell membrane, thus releasing the contents, the neurotransmitters, into the small space (the synaptic cleft) between the axon terminal and the dendrite of the post-synaptic neuron (the neuron the impulse is traveling to). What neurotransmitters do when they reach the post-synaptic neuron:The post-synaptic neuron has many structures each of which are like a combination of a "well", and an open and close able tunnel. The "well" (or hole with a bottom) is a RECEPTOR for the neurotransmitter chemical, in that the neurotransmitter FITS into that well like a key into a lock. And when a neurotransmitter comes to (by diffusion) and enters that well, it affects the shape of the companion tunnel (ION PORE), such that the ion pore OPENS, thus allowing Sodium ions to enter the post-synaptic neuron (normally at a dendrite, the manifold tiny input structures for a neuron). original answer:Nerve impulse traveling

The impulse is actually an electrical current which 'flows' along the nerves cells their 'branches' dendrites and the junctions between nerves but it is not so simple as a regular electrical wire, because a complex biochemical process is also involved. This process is responsible to the first creation of the electrical current, to its recreation some additional times along its passing (- otherwise it would have died out because of the unbelievable lengths such an impulse travels), and to its recreation in any 'new' nerve cell it reaches.

Read more: How_does_an_impulse_travel_from_one_nerve_to_another

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Myra Hodkiewicz

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2y ago

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Related Questions

What is the direction of impulse in a neuron?

A nerve impulse travels toward the actual nucleus itself to pass information.


List the cellular structures over which an impulse would pass?

In the body, an electrical impulse travels through the neurons, or nerve cells, to send signals to and from the brain. The Dendrites of the neuron accept the impulse, send it through the soma, down the axon, and to the axon terminal, where it'll be sent to the next neuron, almost instantly.


Describe the pathway an impulse travels macroscopically through the nervous system from the brain to the muscle?

The NeuronThe cells that carry information through your nervous system are called neurons, or nerve cells. The message that a neuron carries is called a nerve impulse. The Structure of a Neuron:The structure of the neuron enables it to carry nerve impulses. A neuron has a large cell body that contains the nucleus, threadlike extensions called dendrites, and an axon. The dendrites carry impulses toward the neuron's cell body. The axon carries impulses away from the cell body. Nerve impulses begin in a dendrite, move toward the cell body, and then move down the axon. A neuron can have many dendrites, but it has only one axon. An axon, however, can have more than one tip, so the impulse can go to more than one other cell. Axons and dendrites are sometimes called nerve fibers. Nerve fibers are often arranged in parallel bundles covered with a connective tissue, something like a package of uncooked spaghetti wrapped in cellophane. A bundle of nerve fibers is called a nerve.Kinds of Neurons:Three kinds of neurons are found in the body-- sensory neurons, interneurons, and motor neurons.A sensory neuron picks up stimuli from the internal or external environment and converts each stimulus into a nerve impulse. The impulse travels along the sensory neuron until it reaches the interneuron, usually in the brain or spinal cord. An interneuron is a neuron that carries nerve impulses from one neuron to another. Some interneurons pass impulses from sensory neurons to motor neurons. A motor neuron sends an impulse to a muscle or gland, and the muscle or gland reacts in response.How a Nerve Impulse TravelsThe Synapse:What happens when a nerve impulse reaches the axon tip at the end of a neuron? At that point, the impulse can pass to the next structure. Sometimes the structure is a dendrite of another neuron. Other times, the structure is a muscle or a cell in another organ, such as a sweat gland. The junction where one neuron can transfer an impulse to another structure is called a synapse. (SIN aps). How an Impulse is Transferred:For a nerve impulse to be carried along at a synapse, it must cross the gap between the axon and the next structure. The axon tips release chemicals that carry the impulse across the gap.You can think of the gap at a synapse as a river, and an axon as a road that leads up to the riverbank. The nerve impulse is like a car traveling on the road. To get to the other side, the car has to cross the river. The car gets on a ferry boat, which carries it across the river. The chemicals that the axon tips release are like the ferry, carrying the nerve impulse across the gap.


What are the routes followed by nerve impulses as they pass through the nervous system?

Nerve impulses travel in one direction along a neuron, from the dendrites, through the cell body, down the axon, and finally to the axon terminals. At the axon terminals, neurotransmitters are released to communicate with the next neuron or target cell. This process allows the nerve impulse to pass through the nervous system efficiently.


Where do nerve impulses travel?

Nerve impulses travel up through nerves, into the spinal cord and into one of the different lobes of the brain depending on where the impulse comes from. For example, if the impulse comes from your ear, the impulse would travel to the temporal lobe.


What is the message sent down the neuron called?

What they relay is whether of not they were 'on' or 'off' and how often; and this occurs as an action potential firing frequency. There is no message in the sense that neurons might pass on complex messages, like an email for instance; or store memories of events and facts. No one neuron can do anything like that. It takes many neurons working together to achieve this.


How do three neurons work together?

she sneezed with the thundering force of a hurricane!


Describe the path a nerve impulse travels through?

When an impulse travels to the brain, it is first received by sensory receptors, then sent through the neurons by an electrical current. When the neuron receives the signal from a sensory receptor or from another neuron, the nucleus processes the impulse and then sends it down the axon. When a neuron is resting, the inside of the cell has a negative charge caused by active transport of NA and K molecules. This is called the resting potential. When the impulse hits the axon, the electricity causes NA pumps to open, allowing a flow of positively charged the molecule into the cell, causing the charges to switch. This is called the action potential. As the impulse passes, the K pumps open, restoring the original charge. When the impulse reached the end of the axon, neurotransmitters chemically pass the impulse to the next neuron. ;


What transmits impulse between sensory and motor neurons?

Nerve impulses are transmitted between neurons via neurotransmittors that are released into the synapse by the sending neuron. The neurotransmittor then binds to a receptor on the receiving neuron; when enough receptors are triggered, an action potential is initiated on the receiving neuron.


Why is it that the electrical impulse cannot pass from neuron the muscle cell?

There is a space (synapsis) between the neuron and the muscle cell. The electrical impulse can not pass over that. Chemical neurotransmitters are manufactured by neurons in the soma, then stored in little bundles called synaptic vesicles and transferred to the synapses. The release of the neurotransmitter is required for a nerve to simulate the muscle. This is what crosses the space.


Which way does a dendrite conduct nerve impulses to the cell body?

the dendrites pick up msgs from other neurons lying nearby.they pass the msg to the cellbody, and then along the axon, the axon might then pass it on to another neurones. from the receptorto the sensory neuron to the relay neurons to the motor neuron to the muscle


You could locate sites involved in transmitting a nerve impulse by finding the?

You could locate sites involved in transmitting a nerve impulse by finding the synapses. They are defined as a junction between two nerve cells, consisting of a minute gap across which impulses pass by diffusion of a neurotransmitter.