PSYC 2410 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Resting Potential, Asteroid Family, Oscilloscope

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 2410
• Professor: Boyer Winters

Document Summary

An action potential; a rapid, local, transient (brief, ~2 ms), self- propagating reversal in electrical potential that travels along the membrane of a neuron. A wave of depolarization due to rapid change in membrane permeability, and ion fluxes through specific channels called voltage sensitive na+ gates or passive na+ channels (the shift of ions and consequent shift in electrical charges) All or nothing affair that travels along the membrane of a neuron (note: not all stimuli are strong enough to start the action potential and may have to be accumulative) To be activated/ fired has to exceed the threshold level (minimum level of a stimulus required to produce a response; to open the na+ gates) It is different in each cell because cells possess different densities of passive na+ ion channels but, within one cell, it always has the same amplitude regardless of the strength of the stimulus. The frequency can change depending on the stimulus (a) (b) (c) (d)