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Resting potential.
Resting potential.
Resting potential
Okay, information is received through the dendrites, and then moves on the the cell body. From there, the cell's axon passes the message on to other neurons or to muscles or glands.
The impulse must go from one neuron to the next. To do this, it must change from an electrical to a chemical signal, and back to an electrical signal when it reaches the next neuron. Electrical signals are impossibly fast, but neurotransmitters cannot cross a synapse that fast. So, the impulse is at its slowest point when it crosses the synapse.
resting potential
Impulse-momentum theorem
A rapid return to the neuron's resting state
These impulses are called Nerve impulse. Nerve impulse is wave of electrochemical change tha travels along the length of neuron. Electrical potentail of neuron when it is in unstimulated condition is -70 millivolts. In this state outside the membrane of neuron, concentration of positive ions is more than the inside of membrane. Inside the membrane potassium ions are more than sodium ions while outside the membrane sodium ions are more than the potassium ions present there. This balance is maintained by sodium-potassium pumps through which three sodium ions move outside and two potassium ions move inside the membrane at a time. During this activity ATPase (enzyme) breaks down the ATP into ADP and phosphate then energy is released. When a neuron is stimulated, stimulus causes its membrane to depolirized (sodium ions move inside and potassium ions move outside the membrane). The adjacent parts of membrane are also affected by this depolarization. The change travels along the neuron while the prior parts of membrane return to their original state.
If it's approximately -70 mV, then it's in a resting state.
Polarized
This is called the resting potential (inactive state) of the neuron. However, when a neurotransmitter binds to receptors, electrical stimulus is applied, etc. to induce an opening of ion channels in the membrane of the neuron, positive ions rush into the neuron from the outside to the inside, and result in a sharp increase of the positive charge density (due to more positive ions) inside the neuron. Beyond a certain threshold, this can induce the creation of an action potential, causing the neuron to fire. After the action potential is created, and the neuron fires, there is a short refractory period where the neuron cannot be fired again due to stimuli, when positive ions are pumped back out of the neuron, negative ions are brought into the neuron, and then the ion channels close, leaving the neuron in a polarized state, and returning it to a resting potential.