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In neurons especially, and in all cells to a degree, electrical charges are moved across the plasma membrane via ion channels and pumps to establish an electrical gradient. The strength of this gradient is determined by how ion channels are opened.
At the dendrite side of the neuron, inputs from other neurons cause the membrane to lose some of its charge separation, to depolarize. This change in voltage, a graded potential, only affects a small area of the neuron and doesn't travel. However, if this graded potential is strong enough that it can reach the axon hillock, it can start to open voltage-gated ion channels, which are found all along the long axon, but especially at the hillock. If enough ion channels are opened at the hillock, then this depolarization will open other voltage-gated ion channels in a chain reaction. This can then open up the voltage-gated ion channels next to it, and so on down the axon. This wave of depolarization is called an "action potential." This signal can then travel long distances and affect other neurons.
What else can I help you with?
During an action potential, what happens to the neuron's electrical charge?
During an action potential, the neuron's electrical charge rapidly changes from negative to positive, allowing for the transmission of signals along the neuron.
What is the first response a neuron makes to a stimulus?
The first response a neuron makes to a stimulus is called depolarization. This is when the neuron's electrical charge changes, allowing it to transmit an electrical signal down its length to communicate with other neurons.
An environmental stimulus acting on the body initially produces an electrical response called aan in the receptor neuron?
The electrical response in the receptor neuron is called an action potential. This action potential is generated when environmental stimuli cause depolarization of the neuron's membrane, allowing positive ions to enter and create a temporary change in electrical charge. This signal is then propagated along the neuron for further processing in the nervous system.
What travels through the neuron?
An electrical impulse will travel through a neuron.
What happens when a substance gets into a neuron?
When a substance enters a neuron, it can bind to receptor sites on the neuron's membrane, triggering a cascade of events within the neuron. This can lead to changes in the neuron's electrical activity, release of neurotransmitters, or alterations in gene expression, ultimately affecting the neuron's function.
Highly specialized cell communicates information in electrical and chemical form?
neuron
Use the analogy of a battery as having positive and negative poles the contrast between two poles of a neuron is called?
The contrast between the two poles of a neuron is called polarization. Just like a battery has positive and negative poles that create an electrical potential difference, a neuron's polarization refers to the difference in electric charge between its dendrites and axon. This difference in charge allows for the transmission of electrical impulses along the neuron.
What message does neuron carry?
Electrical impulses.
What are the sources of stimulation that start a nerve impulse?
Sources of stimulation that can start a nerve impulse include chemical signals (neurotransmitters released at synapses), physical stimuli (such as pressure or temperature changes acting on sensory receptors), and electrical signals (generated by neighboring neurons or external electrical sources). These stimulations can trigger the opening of ion channels in the neuron's membrane, leading to changes in membrane potential and initiation of an action potential.
What bridges the gap between a neuron sending a message and the neuron receiving it?
Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that bridge the gap, known as the synaptic cleft, between a neuron sending a message (presynaptic neuron) and the neuron receiving it (postsynaptic neuron). These neurotransmitters are released from the presynaptic neuron in response to an electrical signal and bind to receptors on the postsynaptic neuron, causing changes in its electrical activity.
What is a sudden electrical charge in a neuron membrane is?
Yes.
What is the electrical message that travels along a neuron?
The electrical message that travels along a neuron is called an action potential. It is a brief change in electrical voltage that travels down the length of the neuron, allowing for communication between neurons and the transmission of signals throughout the nervous system.
