Physiology 3120 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Cardiac Muscle, Tetraethylammonium, Dendrotoxin
9 Dec 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Ionic basis and propagation of the action potential. Excitable cells (e. g. nerve cells and muscle cells) are capable of generating electrochemical impulses at their membranes and, in some cases, utilization of these impulses to transmit signals along the membranes. 2 nerve cells: first nerve cell = presynaptic nerve cell, second nerve cell = postsynaptic nerve cell, b/c the spot which 2 nerve cells come into contact = synapse. Cell body contains nucleus and dendrites: generally, dendrites receive input from the presynaptic nerve. Axons can vary considerably in length: ap only propagates down the axon. It"s not found in the cell body or dendrites b/c only the axon has vg channels. Ap generally begins at the axon hillock, one of the most electrically sensitive part of the nerve cell b/c it has a very high concentration of vg channels. Axon terminals synapse onto the postsynaptic cell.
