ACTION POTENTIAL FORM Flashcards
(9 cards)
What are the phases of an action potential?
The rising, overshoot, falling and undershoot phases.
What happens to the membrane potential in the rising phase?
Depolarizes.
What is the overshoot phase?
When the membrane potential becomes positive during depolarization.
What happens to the membrane potential in the falling phase?
Repolarization.
What is the undershoot phase?
When the membrane potential becomes more negative than the resting state for a brief period (hyperpolarization).
Are the action potential forms the same in all species?
No. Actions potentials vary widely from neuron to neuron in different animals.
Are action potential forms uniform in the same neuron?
No. Action potential forms can vary in the same neuron.
What are complex spikes?
Action potentials that have several phases from the summation of multple action potentials geneerated from different regions of the neuron have complex spikes.
What does the variation in action potential form mean?
Each type of neuron has a different mechanism of action potential production.
