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Action Potentials

Action Potentials

Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)

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...

Graded Potential

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...

Action Potential

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 Potential: Phases of Stimulation

Action Potential: Phases of Stimulation

The action potential is a complex electrical event that occurs in excitable cells, such as neurons and muscle cells. It consists of several distinct phases, each with specific characteristics.
Resting Phase:
In this phase, the cell's membrane is at its resting potential, typically around -70 millivolts (mV) for neurons. Inside the cell, there is a higher concentration of potassium ions (K+) and a lower concentration of sodium ions (Na+). Voltage-gated sodium channels are closed, and...

The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation

The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation

A postsynaptic neuron usually receives numerous impulses from several other presynaptic neurons. The axon hillock of the postsynaptic neuron integrates all these signals and determines the likelihood of firing an action potential.
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Examining Local Network Processing using Multi-contact Laminar Electrode Recording

Examining Local Network Processing using Multi-contact Laminar Electrode Recording

Published on: September 8, 2011

Local field potentials indicate network state and account for neuronal response variability.

Ryan C Kelly¹, Matthew A Smith, Robert E Kass

¹Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. rkelly@cs.cmu.edu

Journal of Computational Neuroscience

|January 23, 2010

Summary

Network fluctuations in the primary visual cortex (V1) correlate with local field potentials (LFP). Modeling LFP improves understanding of neuronal firing, revealing ongoing cortical activity beyond sensory stimuli.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience
Systems Neuroscience

Background:

Neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1) exhibit coordinated activity fluctuations.
These network fluctuations are often treated as noise when analyzing single-cell responses to stimuli.
Such fluctuations may reflect global network states observed across neural systems.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between neuronal spiking activity and network fluctuations.
To determine if the local field potential (LFP) can serve as a proxy for these network fluctuations.
To assess if modeling LFP improves the characterization of neuronal properties.

Main Methods:

Multineuronal recordings in primary visual cortex (V1).
Analysis of coordinated spiking activity and local field potentials (LFPs).
Development of explicit models incorporating LFP to account for network fluctuations in cell firing.

Main Results:

Network fluctuations in V1 spiking activity are highly correlated with simultaneously recorded LFPs.
Modeling LFP significantly improves the recovery of neuronal cell properties.
A portion of network activity reflected in LFP is independent of visual stimulation, indicating ongoing cortical processes.

Conclusions:

The local field potential (LFP) is a valuable, accessible measure reflecting network states in V1.
LFP can be used to estimate the impact of network fluctuations on neuronal firing.
Network fluctuations contribute to neuronal activity independently of sensory input, reflecting intrinsic cortical dynamics.