BISC306 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Afferent Nerve Fiber, Membrane Potential, Mechanoreceptor

• School: University of Delaware
• Department: Biological Sciences
• Course: BISC306
• Professor: Cain William

Document Summary

Sensing the environment: sensing the environment a. Internal & external: transduction-stimulus causes a change in membrane potential b. i. Spiking neurons initiate action potentials: receptor cells-neurons or epithelial cells c. i. Receptor protein generates potential in response to input and voltage-gated sodium channels recode the signal to a frequency of action potentials c. iii. Specialty receptor neurons: spike initiation zone is stimulated c. iv. Primary afferent neuron-first neuron that sends signal to the cns c. v. Multiple types of receptors: olfactory receptors, photoreceptors, etc: stimulus-causes change in receptor membrane potential by mediating the opening or closing of ion channels d. i. Univariance-stimulation of a receptor is always interpreted by the cns as a single modality d. iii. 1. Law of specific nerve energies : membrane potential & action potentials, magnitude of receptor potential varies with the log of the stimulus intensity, reversal potential-of channel involved could possibly limit the response to a particular stimulus b. i.