Module 3: Lecture 5 Flashcards
where do we have very high concentrations of our voltage gated sodium and potassium channels?
nodes of ranvier
why are we able to generate an action potential?
due to our nodes of ranvier
why does action potentials not happen anywhere that there is myelin sheath?
because it is insulating and hydrophobic. it does not allow ions to cross across that membrane
the distance between two nodes of ranvier is short enough that?
local current can take place between an active node and the adjacent one
what is saltatory conduction?
the electrical impulse jumps from node to node
how come electrical impulses jump from node to node in saltatory conduction?
because there are no voltage gated ion channels within this myelin sheath area and its not exposed to the extracellular fluid si you are not going to generate an action potential at the myelin sheath because there is no mechanism to bring in the sodium ions so they just continue flowing along the cell membrane until it reaches the next node of Ranvier
what is a key factor affecting the conduction velocity of an action potential?
diameter of the fiber
what determines the magnitude of that potential?
the amount of charges that are ultimately moving across the membrane
what affects the resistance of electrical charge between two regions
fiber diameter
the larger the diameter of the fiber, the higher the?
velocity
what is multiple sclerosis?
loss of myelin –> slows or blocks the propagation of action potentials –> poor coordination, lack of sensation, partial paralysis
what is a synapse?
junction between axon terminals(output zone) from a pre-synaptic neuron and the dendrites(input zone) from a post-synaptic neuron
- the connection between two nerves, how they communicate with one another
what do we say when we talk about a nerve connecting to a gland or a muscle?
we say that nerve innervates that muscle or that gland
what do we call it when we talk about a nerve to nerve connection?
a synapse
how many synaptic inputs can the dendrites and the cell body receive?
as many as 100,000 synaptic inputs