BIOC32H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Saltatory Conduction, Axon Terminal, Depolarization
Document Summary
Stimulus intensity is maintained as action potentials flow down the axon: here the effect of weak and strong gps are compared. When the gp increases in strength (amplitude), the frequency (ie number of aps fired per s) increases: amount of nt released at the axon terminal is also directly related to the total number of. Aps that arrive at the terminal per unit of time. The number of aps governs amount of nt released, although sustained increases in ap frequency decrease nt release because the axon cant replenish its nt supply fast enough. Loss of k+ from the cytoplasm repolarises the membrane the section of axon upstream of the active region cannot be depolarised because it is in the. Saltatory conduction: jumping of the action potential from one node of ranvier to the next: conduction of ap is essentially identical to that described previoulsy, except that it occurs. Only at the nodes of ranvier in myelinated axons.
