Nerve Impulse and Action Potential

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NERVE IMPLUSE AND ACTION

POTENTIAL

Instructor: Ms. Ayesha Mehmood


Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Visiting Faculty, IIUI Psychology Dept.
Function of the Nervous System
sensory input

motor input
sensory receptor

effector

integration
Anatomical Division of Nervous System

Central Nervous System (CNS)


• brain
• spinal cord
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
• cranial nerves
• spinal nerves
dendrite

cell body

Myelin
sheath axon Synapse
Nodes of Ranvier

Schwann
Axon Cells
sensory
neuron

interneuron sensory
receptors
effector

motor
neuron
• A Simple Nerve Circuit – the Reflex Arc.
– A reflex is an autonomic response.
• Measuring Membrane Potentials.

– An unstimulated cell usually have a resting


potential of -70mV.
• Ungated ion channels allow ions to diffuse
across the plasma membrane.
– These channels are always open.
Nerve impulses propagate
themselves along an axon
• The action potential is repeatedly
regenerated along the length of the axon.
– An action potential achieved at one region of the
membrane is sufficient to depolarize a
neighboring region above threshold.
• Thus triggering a new action potential.
• The refractory period assures that impulse conduction
is unidirectional.
• Saltatory conduction.
– In myelinated neurons only unmyelinated
regions of the axon depolarize.
• Thus, the impulse moves faster than in unmyelinated
neurons.
Ca2+ Presynaptic
neuron
Postsynaptic
membrane

Synaptic vesicles
containing
neurotransmitters
Neural integration occurs at the
cellular level
• Excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSP)
depolarize the postsynaptic neuron.
– The binding of neurotransmitter to postsynaptic
receptors open gated channels that allow Na+ to
diffuse into and K+ to diffuse out of the cell.
• Inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP)
hyperpolarize the postsynaptic neuron.
– The binding of neurotransmitter to postsynaptic
receptors open gated channels that allow K+ to
diffuse out of the cell and/or Cl- to diffuse into the
cell.
• Acetylcholine- slows heart rate; PNS
• Glutamate- most prevalent neurotransmitter in the brain
• Aspartate- in CNS an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of
proteins
• GABA- inhibitory neurotransmitter
• Glycine- inhibitory neurotransmitter
• Norepinephrine- awakening from deep sleep
• Epinephrine- increase heart rate tyrosine
• Dopamine- movement of skeletal muscles
• Seratonin- sensory perception, temp regulation, mood, sleep
• Nitric oxide- may play a role in memory and learning
• Enkephalin- inhibit pain impulses by suppressing release of
substance P
• Substance P- enhances perception of pain

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