Action POtential (1 Viewer)

[Tenille_69]

Anyone know a quick summary of what this is? Thanks

 

[babydoll_]

Please look through the forum before you ask questions.

http://www.boredofstudies.org/community/showthread.php?t=41689&highlight=action+potential

 

[iambored]

read the thread above but basically,

when cells fire, what they fire is called action potential.

 

[lukebennett]

An action potential is a change in membrane potential which is great enough to create and impulse. it must be 15mV greater than the resting potential of -70mV. The potential occurs due to a stimulus which triggers the movement of Na ions into the cell through Na channels this depolarises the cell. K ions then move out but slower than the Na inos moved in. this is a new membrane potential called an action potential. The na ions then move back out through a pump to repolarise the cell and this brings the cell back to its resting potential.

i hope that helps

 

[~*HSC 4 life*~]

read the thread above but basically,

when cells fire, what they fire is called action potential.

mm i dont understand that?

uhoh bio on mon :/

 

[Tenille_69]

neither do i... what do they fire????

 

[lukebennett]

an impulse

 

[iambored]

yeah ( in the other thread this is a bit clearer but here goes..)

it is said that nerves 'fire.' what they fire is an impulse, it's whatever message they want to send.

so if they want to send the message that something is touching you - something touches you, the nerves detect this. when the thing touches with enough force (i suppose), the nerve reaches 'threshold.' when it reaches threshold it can then fire action potential. it is hard to understand but i generally just think of action potential as the pulse, i don't know if that's totally correct though.