Action potentials

Action Potential: Electrical charge that runs down the axon from the axon hillock to the terminal buttons.

Neural Signals: If we were made of a good conducting material, our signals would travel at the speed of light, This being the case, the further the impulse has to the longer it takes to get there, also the neuron has to repeatedly pulse the charge

Transmisions are dependent on the movement of ions

Ions  = charged particles

Resting potential: The difference in electrical charge between the inside and outside of the cell. When the cell is at rest, the inside of the cell is more negatively charged as compared to the outside

Electrical Gradient: difference in electrical charges between the inside and outside of the cell

Concentration Gradient: difference in distribution of ions across the neuron’s membrane

Ion Channels: A barrier that can be open, closed or inactivated ( locked) it blocks the or lets in the positive charge waiting on the outside of the neuron

Why does the body want to stay in resting potential: The body wants to stay in resting potential because when the neuron is stimulated, it is instantaneous (It's like pulling back a bow as opposed to having to pull back the bow then shooting the arrow.)

Depolarization: When a signal is detected the ion channels open allowing for some sodium to enter, raising the charge positively at the Threshold of excitation the valves then open fully, allowing all the positive ions into the cell.

Repolarization: Once depolarization happens, the potassium and sodium pumps start to pump all of the positive ions back out which allows the axon to go back to Resting Potential

Sodium and potassium pumps: Pumps that push sodium out and potassium ions in the cell to make the inside negative again. (returns the axon to its resting potential)

Hyperpolarization: When the cell does too good of a job getting the inside negative, and goes past -70

Action potential: Brief electrical signal that provides the basis for induction of information along an axon

Propagation of an action potential: When the sodium in the first part of the axon travels to the next part, repeating the process of action potential along the axon. When the sodium moves from one part of the axon to another, the last part of the axon is then locked, and enters a stage of Repolarization.

Nodes of Ranier: Gaps in myelin on facilitates the rapid conduction of nerve impulses

Saltatory conduction: Jumping of action potential from one node to one node (The way action potentials are propagated)

All-or-none law: Once an action potential is triggered in an axon, it is propagated without decrement to the end of the fiber (the action potential will always reach the end of the axon in a healthy cell)

Rate Law: The stronger the stimulus the faster the rate that the axons will fire