Sodium ions (Na⁺) are the primary ion that depolarizes the membrane when they diffuse into the axon of a neuron. During an action potential, voltage-gated sodium channels open in response to a threshold stimulus, allowing Na⁺ to flow into the cell. This influx of positively charged sodium ions reduces the negative charge inside the neuron, leading to depolarization and the propagation of the nerve impulse.
The axon is the part of the neuron that can propagate an action potential. This process relies on the opening and closing of ion channels along the axon membrane to allow the action potential to travel from the cell body to the axon terminals.
The axon of a neuron is responsible for conducting an action potential. This is made possible by the presence of voltage-gated ion channels along the axon membrane that allow for the propagation of electrical signals.
When a neuron is sufficiently stimulated, voltage-gated ion channels open along the axon membrane, allowing positively charged ions, such as sodium, to flow into the cell. This creates an electrical impulse called an action potential that propagates along the axon. The movement of ions is essential for transmitting the signal along the neuron.
The axon terminals of a neuron form the presynaptic neuronal membrane. These structures contain synaptic vesicles that store neurotransmitters for release at the synapse.
When the neuron is at rest, a charge difference known as the resting membrane potential exists between the interior and exterior of the axon. This potential is maintained by the unequal distribution of ions across the cell membrane, with more negative ions inside the cell compared to the outside.
An axon hillock is a special cell body that connects an axon to a neuron. It is the last place where propagated membrane potentials are transmitted to the axon.
axon hillock
nerve impulse
Synaptic vesicle
The axon is the part of the neuron that can propagate an action potential. This process relies on the opening and closing of ion channels along the axon membrane to allow the action potential to travel from the cell body to the axon terminals.
The axon of a neuron is responsible for conducting an action potential. This is made possible by the presence of voltage-gated ion channels along the axon membrane that allow for the propagation of electrical signals.
When a neuron is sufficiently stimulated, voltage-gated ion channels open along the axon membrane, allowing positively charged ions, such as sodium, to flow into the cell. This creates an electrical impulse called an action potential that propagates along the axon. The movement of ions is essential for transmitting the signal along the neuron.
When a nerve is stimulated, its cell membrane is depolarised so that the inside of the cell becomes less negative. The potential is conducted along the axon to the axon terminal. At the dendrite it stimulates the release of a chemical transmitter, which diffuses across a synapse. The transmitter binds to receptor sites on the postsynaptic cell membrane to stimulate the generation of another impulse.
The axon terminals of a neuron form the presynaptic neuronal membrane. These structures contain synaptic vesicles that store neurotransmitters for release at the synapse.
When the neuron is at rest, a charge difference known as the resting membrane potential exists between the interior and exterior of the axon. This potential is maintained by the unequal distribution of ions across the cell membrane, with more negative ions inside the cell compared to the outside.
The synaptic cleft, a small gap filled with extracellular fluid, separates axon terminals from the postsynaptic membrane of the neighboring neuron. This separation allows for the release of neurotransmitters from the axon terminal to signal the next neuron.
The tiny gap that the neurotransmitter has to diffuse across to reach the membrane of the postsynaptic neuron is called the synaptic cleft. It separates the axon terminal of the presynaptic neuron from the dendrite of the postsynaptic neuron.