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Related Concept Videos

Action Potentials01:41

Action Potentials

Overview
Propagation of Action Potentials01:23

Propagation of Action Potentials

The propagation of an action potential refers to the process by which a nerve impulse, or "action potential," travels along a neuron.
Neurons (nerve cells) have a resting membrane potential, with a slightly negative charge inside compared to outside. This is maintained by ion channels, such as sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) channels, which control the flow of ions. When a stimulus, like a touch or a signal from another neuron, triggers the neuron, sodium channels open, allowing sodium ions to...
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 Potential: Phases of Stimulation01:28

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...
Generation of Action Potential in Skeletal Muscles01:24

Generation of Action Potential in Skeletal Muscles

Every cell in the body maintains a membrane potential due to an uneven distribution of positive and negative charges across its plasma membrane. The membrane potential is measured in millivolts and quantifies the difference in charge across the membrane.
Like neurons, muscle cells are also regarded as excitable due to their capacity to change in response to stimuli, primarily due to voltage-gated ion channels embedded in their plasma membranes, which get activated by alterations in the cell's...

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Computational Modeling of Retinal Neurons for Visual Prosthesis Research - Fundamental Approaches
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A threshold equation for action potential initiation.

Jonathan Platkiewicz1, Romain Brette

  • 1Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception, CNRS and Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France.

Plos Computational Biology
|July 15, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Ionic channels significantly influence neuronal excitability by modulating spike threshold. This study introduces a new equation to quantify how sodium channel dynamics and other ionic conductances contribute to spike threshold variability in neurons.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Computational Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Neuronal spike initiation threshold variability is observed experimentally but not fully explained by current models.
  • Ionic channel properties are hypothesized to be key modulators of spike threshold.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of Na+ channel activation/inactivation, slow voltage-gated channels, and synaptic conductances on spike threshold.
  • To develop a quantitative model for spike threshold that accounts for these mechanisms and their variability.

Main Methods:

  • Computational modeling of neuronal spike initiation.
  • Development and validation of a novel spike threshold equation based on Hodgkin-Huxley formalism.
  • Analysis of Na+ channel density, inactivation, and K+ channel effects on threshold dynamics.

Main Results:

  • A time-varying spike threshold equation was derived, incorporating Na+ channel density, inactivation, and other conductances.
  • Spike threshold shows logarithmic dependence on Na+ channel density.
  • Na+ channel inactivation and K+ channels provide adaptive modulation, increasing threshold with membrane potential and after action potentials.

Conclusions:

  • Ionic channels, particularly Na+ channels, are crucial determinants of spike threshold variability.
  • The shape of the Na+ activation function near spike initiation is critical for explaining observed threshold variability.
  • The proposed model and equation offer a framework for understanding dynamic threshold changes in neurons with fluctuating inputs.