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These are collectively referred to as postsynaptic receptors, since they are located on the membrane of the postsynaptic cell. Postsynaptic potentials are important mechanisms by which neurons communicate with each other allowing for information processing, learning, memory formation, and complex behavior within the nervous system. [2]
When an action potential occurs in a cell, the electrical signal reaches the presynaptic terminal and the depolarization causes calcium channels to open, releasing calcium to travel down its electrochemical gradient. This influx of calcium subsequently is what causes the neurotransmitter vesicles to fuse with the presynaptic membrane. [16]
Neurons are the primary components of the nervous system, along with the glial cells that give them structural and metabolic support. [5] The nervous system is made up of the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system, which includes the autonomic, enteric and somatic nervous systems. [6]
Neurotransmission implies both a convergence and a divergence of information. First one neuron is influenced by many others, resulting in a convergence of input. When the neuron fires, the signal is sent to many other neurons, resulting in a divergence of output. Many other neurons are influenced by this neuron. [citation needed]
Neural facilitation, also known as paired-pulse facilitation (PPF), is a phenomenon in neuroscience in which postsynaptic potentials (PSPs) (EPPs, EPSPs or IPSPs) evoked by an impulse are increased when that impulse closely follows a prior impulse.
The first phase of synaptic potential generation is the same for both excitatory and inhibitory potentials. As an action potential travels through the presynaptic neuron, the membrane depolarization causes voltage-gated calcium channels to open.
These up-and-down cycles are known as action potentials. In some types of neurons, the entire up-and-down cycle takes place in a few thousandths of a second. In muscle cells, a typical action potential lasts about a fifth of a second. In plant cells, an action potential may last three seconds or more. [4]
Neurons form networks through which nerve impulses travels, each neuron often making numerous connections with other cells of neurons. These electrical signals may be excitatory or inhibitory, and, if the total of excitatory influences exceeds that of the inhibitory influences, the neuron will generate a new action potential at its axon hillock ...