Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
In the nervous system, a synapse [1] is a structure that allows a neuron (or nerve cell) to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another neuron or a target effector cell. Synapses can be classified as either chemical or electrical, depending on the mechanism of signal transmission between neurons.
In many [specify] animals, electrical synapse-based systems co-exist with chemical synapses. Compared to chemical synapses, electrical synapses conduct nerve impulses faster and provide continuous-time bidirectional coupling via linked cytoplasm. [1] [3] [4] [5] As such, the notion of signal directionality across these synapses is not always ...
The membrane undulates in different sized waves according to the frequency of the sound. Hair cells are then able to convert this movement (mechanical energy) into electrical signals (graded receptor potentials) which travel along auditory nerves to hearing centres in the brain. [7]
A few common uses are determining whether a muscle is active or inactive during movement (onset of activity), assessing the velocity of nerve conduction, and the amount of force generated during movement. EMGs are the basis for nerve conduction studies which measure the electrical conduction velocity and other characteristics of nerves in the ...
Traditionally, signals that reach the central nervous system are classified as senses. These are transmitted from neuron to neuron in a process called synaptic transmission . Many other intercellular signal relay mechanisms exist in multicellular organisms, such as those that govern embryonic development.
The ability to generate electric signals was a key innovation in the evolution of the nervous system. [2] Neurons are typically classified into three types based on their function. Sensory neurons respond to stimuli such as touch, sound, or light that affect the cells of the sensory organs, and they send signals to the spinal cord or brain ...
The purpose of these studies is to determine whether nerve damage is present and how severe that damage may be. Nerve conduction studies are performed as follows: [8] Two electrodes are attached to the subject's skin over the nerve being tested. Electrical impulses are sent through one electrode to stimulate the nerve.
When a nerve is stimulated, i.e., when sufficient electrical charge is provided to a nerve cell, a localized depolarization of the cell wall occurs resulting in an action potential that propagates toward both ends of the axon. Typically, one "wave" of action potentials will propagate along the axon towards the muscle (orthodromic propagation ...