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Related Concept Videos

Action Potential01:14

Action Potential

Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
Action Potential01:14

Action Potential

Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
Action Potentials01:41

Action Potentials

Overview
Graded Potential01:19

Graded Potential

Graded potentials are localized fluctuations in the cell membrane's electrical charge, commonly found in the dendrites of neurons. The magnitude of these potential changes depends on the strength of the initiating stimulus. In a membrane at its resting potential, a graded potential signifies a voltage shift either above -70 mV or below -70 mV.
Graded potentials fall into two categories: depolarizing and hyperpolarizing. Depolarizing graded potentials typically occur when sodium (Na+) or calcium...
Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)01:32

Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)

Postsynaptic potential (PSP) refers to a change in the electrical potential of a neuron when neurotransmitters released by presynaptic neurons bind to postsynaptic receptors. This potential can either be excitatory, leading to depolarization and ultimately action potential generation, or inhibitory, leading to hyperpolarization and suppression of the postsynaptic neuron.
There are two types of receptors: ionotropic and metabotropic.
The ionotropic receptor is the membrane protein that has an...
Resting Membrane Potential01:24

Resting Membrane Potential

The relative difference in electrical charge, or voltage, between the inside and the outside of a cell membrane, is called the membrane potential. It is generated by differences in permeability of the membrane to various ions and the concentrations of these ions across the membrane.
The Inside of a Neuron is More Negative
The membrane potential of a cell can be measured by inserting a microelectrode into a cell and comparing the charge to a reference electrode in the extracellular fluid. The...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Voltage-sensitive Dye Recording from Axons, Dendrites and Dendritic Spines of Individual Neurons in Brain Slices
12:51

Voltage-sensitive Dye Recording from Axons, Dendrites and Dendritic Spines of Individual Neurons in Brain Slices

Published on: November 29, 2012

Membrane potential changes in dendritic spines during action potentials and synaptic input.

Lucy M Palmer1, Greg J Stuart

  • 1Division of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|May 29, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Electrical signaling in brain dendritic spines was studied using voltage-sensitive dye imaging. Action potentials fully invade spines, and synaptic inputs cause small voltage changes, suggesting spines do not significantly alter synaptic strength.

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Analysis of Dendritic Spine Morphology in Cultured CNS Neurons
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Analysis of Dendritic Spine Morphology in Cultured CNS Neurons

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Voltage-sensitive Dye Recording from Axons, Dendrites and Dendritic Spines of Individual Neurons in Brain Slices
12:51

Voltage-sensitive Dye Recording from Axons, Dendrites and Dendritic Spines of Individual Neurons in Brain Slices

Published on: November 29, 2012

3D Modeling of Dendritic Spines with Synaptic Plasticity
07:13

3D Modeling of Dendritic Spines with Synaptic Plasticity

Published on: May 18, 2020

Analysis of Dendritic Spine Morphology in Cultured CNS Neurons
11:48

Analysis of Dendritic Spine Morphology in Cultured CNS Neurons

Published on: July 13, 2011

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cellular Electrophysiology

Background:

  • Dendritic spines are crucial neuronal projections for excitatory input.
  • Their small size hinders direct electrophysiological study of electrical signaling.
  • Understanding spine electrical properties is vital for neuronal function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate electrical signaling within dendritic spines.
  • To measure voltage changes during action potentials and synaptic input.
  • To estimate spine neck resistance and its impact on synaptic strength.

Main Methods:

  • Voltage-sensitive dye imaging in cortical pyramidal neurons.
  • Recording during backpropagating action potentials and synaptic stimulation.
  • Morphologically realistic modeling for simulations.

Main Results:

  • Backpropagating action potentials fully invaded spines without voltage loss.
  • Synaptic voltage changes in spines ranged from a few mV to ~20 mV.
  • Spine neck resistance was estimated up to ~500 MΩ, reducing somatic EPSPs by <15%.

Conclusions:

  • Dendritic spines effectively transmit action potentials without attenuation.
  • Spine neck resistance is unlikely to significantly modify synaptic strength.
  • Voltage-activated channels do not substantially boost synaptic voltage responses in spines.