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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...

Somatosensation

Somatosensation

The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.

Motor Unit Stimulation

Motor Unit Stimulation

When the neuron of a motor unit fires an action potential, it triggers a series of events, leading to a twitch contraction in the muscle fibers. The process of excitation-contraction coupling is crucial in relaying the action potential to the muscle fibers.
The latent period of contraction marks the onset of excitation-contraction coupling, when the action potential propagates across the sarcolemma, preparing the muscle fibers for contraction. As the fibers enter the contraction phase, the...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 28, 2026

An In Vitro Preparation for Eliciting and Recording Feeding Motor Programs with Physiological Movements in Aplysia californica

An In Vitro Preparation for Eliciting and Recording Feeding Motor Programs with Physiological Movements in Aplysia californica

Published on: December 5, 2012

Motor patterns during active electrosensory acquisition.

Volker Hofmann¹, Bart R H Geurten², Juan I Sanguinetti-Scheck³

¹Active Sensing, Faculty of Biology, Cognitive Interaction Technology - Center of Excellence, Bielefeld University Bielefeld, Germany.

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience

|June 7, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Weakly electric fish use specific motor patterns for active electrosensation, optimizing sensory information and behavior. These quantified movements are key components of their active sensing strategies.

Keywords:

behavior electric fish electrolocation motor patterns quantitative behavioral analysis sensorimotor interaction sensory flow

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Published on: January 18, 2011

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Animal Behavior
Sensory Biology

Background:

Active electrosensory acquisition is crucial for weakly electric fish.
Motor patterns shape sensory flow, optimizing behavior and information gain.
Weakly electric fish offer a model for studying sensory-motor interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

To formally quantify motor patterns used by fish during electrolocation.
To identify and extract coherent chains of behavior from motor patterns.
To investigate motor patterns as components of active sensing strategies.

Main Methods:

Cluster analysis of kinematic values to categorize basic motion units.
Associative grouping to identify behavioral chains.
Analysis of fish movements and electric signals during object exploration.

Main Results:

Identified and categorized basic units of motion and behavioral sequences.
Presented detailed data for three classified motor patterns.
Demonstrated that motor patterns are modified by sensory context and linked to changes in electric organ discharge frequency and spatial distribution.

Conclusions:

Motor patterns are integral components of active sensing strategies in weakly electric fish.
Quantified motor patterns provide insights into sensory-motor interactions.
Future research can investigate the impact of these behaviors on sensing.