AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -An action potential occurs when a neuron sends information down an axon, away from the cell body. Neuroscientists use other words, such as a “spike” or an “impulse” for the action potential. The action potential is an explosion of electrical activity that is created by a depolarizing current.

Detailed explanation-2: -Action Potentials. This “firing” of impulse messages is called the action potential. An action potential is a brief electrical charge that travels down the axon of the neuron.

Detailed explanation-3: -Propagation. The propagation of the action potential from the axon hillock down the axon and to the presynaptic terminal results in release of chemical neurotransmitters that communicate with a postsynaptic neuron.

Detailed explanation-4: -Action potentials travel down neuronal axons in an ion cascade. Positive ions (mostly sodium ions) flow into the cell body, which triggers transmembrane channels at the start of the axon to open and to let in more positive ions.

Detailed explanation-5: -Introduction. An action potential is a rapid sequence of changes in the voltage across a membrane. The membrane voltage, or potential, is determined at any time by the relative ratio of ions, extracellular to intracellular, and the permeability of each ion.