A NERVE IS USUALLY COMPOSED OF A BUNDLE OF NEURONS

WITH GLIAL CELLS AND BLOOD VESSELS TO SUPPLY NEEDED

MATERIALS.
NEURONS ARE NOT CONNECTED DIRECTLY TO ONE ANOTHER –
THERE ARE GAPS (SYNAPSES) BETWEEN THE NEURONS.
ACTION POTENTIALS TRAVEL ALONG THE AXONS OF NEURONS
THE CELL MEMBRANE OF NEURONS HAVE AN UNEVEN
DISTRUBTION OF CHARGES, WITH THE INSIDE MORE NEGATIVE
THAN THE OUTSIDE (RESTING POTENTIAL -70mV)

THE BALANCE IS MAINTAINED BY THE Na/K PUMP – WHERE Na+ IS

MORE CONCENTRATED OUTSIDE THE CELL, AND K+ IS MORE
CONCENTRATED INSIDE THE CELL. THE CELL MEMBRANE ALLOWS
K+ TO PASS MORE EASILY.

A CHANGE IN THIS BALANCE BY MOVING IONS CAUSES AN

ELECTRICAL CHARGE ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE CELL  THIS IS
AN ACTION POTENTIAL.

ACTION POTENTIALS ARE VERY QUICK “FLIPS” OF THE RESTING

POTENTIAL. Na & K GATES OPEN TO ALLOW THE IONS TO CROSS
AND REVERSE POSITIONS (Na+ INSIDE … K+ OUTSIDE). THE REASON
+VE IONS MOVE IS BECAUSE THE –VE IONS ARE TOO LARGE.

ACTION POTENTIALS START AT ONE SPECIFIC AREA AND THEN

SPREAD OF PROPAGATE ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE AXON.
ACTION POTENTIALS ARE THE NERVE IMPULSES THAT OCCUR
ALONG AXONS
IF A STIMULUS (SOUND, LIGHT, TOUCH, etc) OCCURS THAT IS
STRONG ENOUGH TO REACH THE THRESHOLD LEVEL … AN
ACTION POTENTIAL RESULTS. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE IN THE
STRENGTH OF THE ACTION POTENTIAL. THEY ARE “ALL OR
NOTHING” EVENTS
A STIMULUS CAUSES Na+ LEAK CHANNELS TO
OPEN IN THE CELL MEMBRANE IN A SMALL
AREA.
THIS DEPOLARIZES A SMALL AREA OF THE
AXON AS Na+ RUSH INTO THE CELL (GRADED
POTENTIAL). IF THIS REACHES THRESHOLD
THE VOLTAGE GATED Na+ CHANNELS OPEN
CAUSING MORE Na+ TO FLOOD INTO THE
CELL.
POSITIVE FEEDBACK MECHANISMS CAUSE
MORE AND MORE Na+ GATED CHANNELS TO
OPEN CAUSING THE MEMBRANE POTENTIAL
TO BECOME MORE AND MORE POSITIVE.
THE AMOUNT OF Na+ IN EXCEEDS THE
AMOUNT OF K+ GOING OUT
 CONFORMATION SHIFTS OCCUR IN THE Na+
CHANNELS THAT ALLOW Na+ IONS TO ENTER
THE CELL

A. AT REST: ACTIVATION GATE CLOSED (AG) … INACTIVATION GATE

OPEN (IG)
B. ACTIVATION: BOTH GATES OPEN
C. INACTIVATION: INACTIVATION GATE CLOSED (IG) … ACTIVATION
GATE OPEN (AG)
D. REFRACTORY PERIOD: BOTH GATES CLOSED
ONCE THE MEMBRANE POTENTIAL INSIDE THE
CELL BECOMES POSITIVE THE VOLTAGE
GATED Na+ CHANNELS SNAP SHUT AND THERE
IS NO INFLUX OF Na+ INTO THE CELL.

THIS IS THE ‘PEAK’ OF THE ACTION POTENTIAL

GATES FOR K+ IONS OPEN THAT ALLOW K+ TO

LEAK ACROSS THE CELL MEMBRANE.

THIS IS A NEGATIVE FEEDBACK MECHANISM

EVENTUALLY THE MEMBRANE RETURNS TO

RESTING POTENTIAL (-70mV)
HOWEVER… THE CONCENTRATIONS OF Na+ AND
K+ AREN’T WHERE THEY WERE BEFORE THE
ACTION POTENTIAL.

THE CONCENTRATIONS HAVE BEEN REVERSED!

WE NOW HAVE MORE Na+ IN THE CELL AND MORE

K+ OUTSIDE THE CELL.

THE Na/K PUMP KICKS IN AND RESTORES THE

ORIGINAL CONCENTRATIONS.

UNTIL THIS OCCURS THE CELL IS

HYPERPOLARIZED AND CANNOT FIRE ANOTHER
ACTION POTENTIAL  REFRACTORY PERIOD
 QUESTION
HOW FAST DOES AN ACTION
POTENTIAL TRAVEL?

ROUGHLY A RATE OF 2 m/s

HOW CAN WE INCREASE THE SPEED?

1. THE DIAMETER OF THE AXON IS

PROPORTIONAL TO THE SPEED OF THE
ACTION POTENTIAL

THE GIANT SQUID HAS SOME AXONS

ABOUT 1mm IN DIAMETER. IF OUR
AXONS WERE AS LARGE HUMANS
WOULD HAVE LARGE HEADS AND WE
WOULD HAVE TO KEEP THOSE MUSCLES
CLOSE TO THE DENDRITE OF THE
NEURON.
2. USE MYELIN

THE MYELIN SHEATHS SECRETED BY SCHWANN CELLS

INSULATE PORTIONS OF THE AXON, ALLOWING THE WAVE OF
DEPOLARIZATION TO “JUMP” TO THE NEXT GAP (NODE OF
RANVIER”

THIS INCREASES THE RATE TO AROUND 120 m/s