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originates in axon hillock. travels down axon to the target (i.e dendrite, another cell body, muscle fiber...)

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What is the electrical signal carried by a nerve cell?

Action potential


How does mechanical stimulation of the nerve cause an action potential?

Mechanical stimulation of a nerve physically opens ion channels in the cell membrane, allowing ions such as sodium and potassium to flow across the membrane. This creates a change in the electrical charge inside the nerve cell, leading to depolarization and generation of an action potential.


In which direction does a nerve impulse usually move?

A nerve impulse typically moves in one direction, away from the cell body of a neuron and towards the axon terminals. This unidirectional flow ensures efficient communication within the nervous system.


What is the name for the impulse generated when a neuron fires?

Brain send the message via nerve impulses involving neurons which use the neuro-transmitter AcetylcholineAcetylcholine- a neurotransmitter released at the neuromuscular junction triggers a muscle action potential, which leads to muscle contraction


What does a conduction velocity of an action potential depend on?

An action potential does not have a conduction velocity. Rather, it makes sense to measure the conduction velocity of nerves or nerve cells and this is usually done in metres per second (m/s.). An action potential is characterised as "an all or none response". This means you cannot alter the characteristics of an action potential in a given nerve cell. If you get a nerve cell and manage to get it to threshold, produce and measure an action potential 1000 times or more at the exact same point on the cell, the action potential you measure will not change in timing or amplitude. Information travels down a nerve cell through action potentials. But it is not one action potential that travels the whole length of the axon. Instead what happens is that one action potential causes the next bit of the nerve cell to reach threshold and therefore creates an entirely new action potential. So you actually need multiple action potentials to happen along a nerve cell to send information down it. We call this "propagation of action potentials" since each action potential produces a new one. More properly, it is referred to as "saltatory action potential conduction". Conduction velocity is basically a measure of how quickly we can produce a series of action potentials to travel the distance of the nerve cell axon. Since action potentials only happen at each "Node of Ranvier", then the longer the distance between each node (internodal distance), the faster the conduction velocity of a nerve cell. Since the internodal distance is positively correlated with myelin thickness, more thickly myelinated nerve cells have faster conduction velocities. The thickest and fastest nerve cells are motor neurones and Ia fibres from muscle spindles with a diameter of 12-20 micrometres and a conduction velocity of 70-120 m/s. The thinnest/slowest are fibres used to convey slow pain (<1.5 micrometres and 0.5-2 m/s).

Related Questions

What is the electrical signal carried by a nerve cell?

Action potential


What is the form of message carried by a nerve cell called?

The form of message carried by a nerve cell is called an action potential. An action potential is a brief electrical signal that travels along the nerve cell's axon, allowing for communication between different parts of the nervous system.


What happens when an action potential reaches the nerve terminal?

When an action potential reaches the nerve terminal, it triggers the release of neurotransmitters into the synapse, which then transmit signals to the next neuron or target cell.


Electrochemical discharge of a nerve cell?

During electrochemical discharge of a nerve cell, an action potential is generated through the movement of ions across the cell membrane. This process involves the opening and closing of ion channels, leading to rapid changes in membrane potential. The action potential travels along the nerve cell, enabling communication between cells in the nervous system.


How does mechanical stimulation of the nerve cause an action potential?

Mechanical stimulation of a nerve physically opens ion channels in the cell membrane, allowing ions such as sodium and potassium to flow across the membrane. This creates a change in the electrical charge inside the nerve cell, leading to depolarization and generation of an action potential.


In which direction does a nerve impulse usually move?

A nerve impulse typically moves in one direction, away from the cell body of a neuron and towards the axon terminals. This unidirectional flow ensures efficient communication within the nervous system.


Where is the hillock of the neuron?

The nerve cell hillock is the beginning of the axon immediately after the soma. This is where the action potential originates.


Do action potential cause electrical and chemical change in neuron?

Yes, you see when a action potential process is taking place the negative ions are in the center of the nerve and the positives are on the outside, during the action potential however they swap places, which in doing so changes the electrical and chemicals in the nerve cell.


What is the name for the impulse generated when a neuron fires?

Brain send the message via nerve impulses involving neurons which use the neuro-transmitter AcetylcholineAcetylcholine- a neurotransmitter released at the neuromuscular junction triggers a muscle action potential, which leads to muscle contraction


What does a conduction velocity of an action potential depend on?

An action potential does not have a conduction velocity. Rather, it makes sense to measure the conduction velocity of nerves or nerve cells and this is usually done in metres per second (m/s.). An action potential is characterised as "an all or none response". This means you cannot alter the characteristics of an action potential in a given nerve cell. If you get a nerve cell and manage to get it to threshold, produce and measure an action potential 1000 times or more at the exact same point on the cell, the action potential you measure will not change in timing or amplitude. Information travels down a nerve cell through action potentials. But it is not one action potential that travels the whole length of the axon. Instead what happens is that one action potential causes the next bit of the nerve cell to reach threshold and therefore creates an entirely new action potential. So you actually need multiple action potentials to happen along a nerve cell to send information down it. We call this "propagation of action potentials" since each action potential produces a new one. More properly, it is referred to as "saltatory action potential conduction". Conduction velocity is basically a measure of how quickly we can produce a series of action potentials to travel the distance of the nerve cell axon. Since action potentials only happen at each "Node of Ranvier", then the longer the distance between each node (internodal distance), the faster the conduction velocity of a nerve cell. Since the internodal distance is positively correlated with myelin thickness, more thickly myelinated nerve cells have faster conduction velocities. The thickest and fastest nerve cells are motor neurones and Ia fibres from muscle spindles with a diameter of 12-20 micrometres and a conduction velocity of 70-120 m/s. The thinnest/slowest are fibres used to convey slow pain (<1.5 micrometres and 0.5-2 m/s).


Action potentials originate at the?

Action potentials are how nerve impulses are transmitted from neuron to neuron. An action potential is formed when a stimulus to the nerve cell causes the membrane to depolarize and open all of its sodium ion channels toward the threshold potential.


How does a nerve cell make a muscle cell work?

From the previous answerer: how does a muscle cell work? well it starts with a nerve cell and this moves on to make the muscle cell work it contracts and relaxes.wow, you must have a degree in microbiology. so it goes from the nerve to the cell and then it's just magic after that? i would say nice try, but it wasn't.