PSY 177 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Bungarotoxin, Cranial Nerves, Exocytosis
31 May 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Neurophysiology: the generation, transmission, and integration of neural signals. Once sodium can pass through the membrane: na+ enters cell (concentration pushing sodium into the cell and electrostatic charge also pushes into the cell since it is negative). Action potentials are regenerated along the axon each adjacent section is depolarized and a new action potential occurs. Speed of propagation of the action potential depends on myelin. Saltatory conduction the action potential travels without stopping beneath myelinated axon and jumps from node to node. Those gaps are the only place the ionic exchange happens, otherwise the charges maintain throughout the axon because the myelin insulates it. Unmyelinated axon is like a local train, it still gets there but it stops along the way, ex: our pain system is like that. Myelin is like an express train, it goes straight to the point.
