Propagation And Tranimssion Of Action Potentials Flashcards
What happens to depolarization as distance from stimulus increases?
Decay rapidly
Distance between axon hillock and synapse
Long
- can be meters long
- AP has to maintain strength to elicit response
Single APs
Usually not sufficient to carry info along a neuron
What kind of feed back is AP propagation?
Positive
AP propagation
Initial AP begets new APs in adjacent membrane
-bi direction if able, physiologically in one direction
Each new AP in propagation
Is full strength and follows the same steps and propagates itself
What allows for full strength APs to travel along length of neuron?
Each new AP is full strength and follows the same steps and propagates itself
Speed at which APs are conducted away from initiation site
Conduction velocity
What is conduction velocity dependent upon
Time and length constants
-how quickly you change charge across membrane
How fast membrane can depolarize to 63% of max AP voltage
How far depolarization travels before falling below 63% of max
Smaller time constant (t)
Faster depolarization, faster conduction
What does the time constant depend on (Rm)
Number of open channels (resistance)
-more open channels, lower resistance, more ion flow, faster depolarization
What is the second thing that the time constant depends on? (Cm)
How well the membrane holds charge (capacitance)
-less charge in membrane, more is transferred inside, faster depolarization
What allows depolarization to travel further?
High resistance, less open channels fewer ions leaking out, depolarization can travel further
How easy current can flow inside the cell
Internal resistance (Ri)
What is a better conductor than the membrane?
Cytoplasm
_____ nerves have more cytoplasm than thinner nerves (better conduction)
Thicker
Increasing diameter does what to Ri
Lowers by increasing area of cytoplasm to membrane
-higher length constant means further/faster conduction
____ nerves conduct impulses faster than smaller nerves
Thick
What limits the size of nerves?
Anatomical constraints
Which of the following set of conditions would give you the most rapid conduction?
- low time constant
- high length constant
Layers of glial cells wrapped around axon
Myelination
What are the cells that myelinated in the CNS
Oligodendrocytes
What are the cells that myelinated in the PNS
Schwann
Myelin distribution in axons
Evenly distributed along axon with small spaces between
What are the small spaces between the myelination
Node of ranvier
What does myelin do for the axons?
Insulates the axon to make AP ‘jump’ between nodes
What is it called when the AC jumps between the nodes of ranvier
Saltatory conduction