nerve impulse overview

Nerve Impulse

An electrical current that travels along dendrites or axons due to ions moving through voltage gated channels in the neuron's plasma membrane.

Voltage Gated Channels

Channels that open and close in response to electrical voltage, affected by changes in electrical charge.

Resting Membrane Potential

The charge difference maintained between the inside and outside of a cell when it is at rest.

Sodium Potassium Pumps

Active transport mechanisms that move sodium ions out of the cell and bring potassium ions in.

Depolarization

The process where the inside of the cell becomes positively charged when sodium ions flood in.

Action Potential

A moving depolarization along the membrane caused by the opening of nearby voltage gated sodium channels.

Repolarization

The process where voltage gated potassium channels open, allowing potassium ions to flow out of the cell, restoring the negative charge inside.