Graded potential vs Action potential

Amplitude

Graded - small, Action -large

All or none

Graded - No Action - yes

Duration

Graded - Longer (millisecs to secs) Action - Shorter, 1-2 milliseconds

Stimulus

Graded - triggered by weak, threshold stimuli

Action - Needs a strong stimulus

Summation (adding up)

Graded - Can be temporarily, spatially summated

Action - Cannot be summated

Propagation (spread)

Graded - Decremental, lost over distance

Action - Non-decremental, travels long distances without degradation

Location

Graded- Dendrites and cell body

Action - Axon hillock and axon

Ion channels

Graded - Ligand-gated channels

Action - Voltage-gated channels