What is the term for the event where a neuron’s electrical charge temporarily becomes less negative or positive, initiating a neural impulse:
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Answer: A. an action potential
Explanation
An action potential occurs when a neuron depolarizes, becoming less negative to initiate a neural impulse. This rapid shift in electrical charge sweeps down the axon as sodium channels open sequentially. The resulting electrochemical wave successfully transmits neural information across distant parts of the nervous system. Neurons maintain a negative electrical charge inside their membranes when they are at rest. Depolarization happens when positively charged sodium ions flood rapidly into the intracellular fluid. This sudden voltage spike satisfies the threshold of excitation required to fire an action potential.
Sensory receptors in your skin trigger action potentials when you touch something hot. Local anesthetics block sodium channels to prevent the generation of action potentials during dental procedures. Neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis disrupt these electrical impulses by damaging the insulating myelin. A resting potential describes the stable negative charge of an inactive neuron prior to depolarization. Impulse facilitation refers to enhancing neural transmission rather than the specific depolarization event itself. Inhibitory signals make a neuron's resting charge more negative, moving it further away from firing an impulse.
- Subject
- Psychology
- Category
- Psychology
- Topic
- —
- Difficulty
- medium
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