Describe, in detail, how neurons communicate. Start with a strong EPSP being transmitted, and end with...

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Describe, in detail, how neurons communicate. Start with astrong EPSP being transmitted, and end with the next cell receivingan EPSP.Â Â

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Nerve ImpulseTransmission within a Neuron Resting PotentialThe resting potential of a neuron is controlled by thedifference in total charge between the inside and outside of thecellKey PointsWhen the neuronal membrane is at rest the resting potential isnegative due to the accumulation of more sodium ions outside thecell than potassium ions inside the cellPotassium ions diffuse out of the cell at a much faster ratethan sodium ions diffuse into the cell because neurons have manymore potassium leakage channels than sodium leakage channelsSodiumpotassium pumps move two potassium ions inside the cellas three sodium ions are pumped out to maintain thenegativelycharged membrane inside the cell this helps maintainthe resting potentialKey Termsion channel a protein complex or singleprotein that penetrates a cell membrane and catalyzes the passageof specific ions through that membranemembrane potential the difference inelectrical potential across the enclosing membrane of a cellresting potential the nearly latent membranepotential of inactive cellsNerve Impulse Transmission within a NeuronFor the nervous system to function neurons must be able to sendand receive signals These signals are possible because each neuronhas a charged cellular membrane a voltage difference between theinside and the outside The charge of this membrane can change inresponse to neurotransmitter molecules released from other neuronsand environmental stimuli Any voltage is a difference in electricpotential between two points for example the separation ofpositive and negative electric charges on opposite sides of aresistive barrier To understand how neurons communicate one mustfirst understand the basis of charged membranes and the baseline orresting membrane chargeNeuronal Charged MembranesThe lipid bilayer membrane that surrounds a neuron isimpermeable to charged molecules or ions To enter or exit theneuron ions must pass through special proteins called ion channelsthat span the membrane Ion channels have different configurationsopen closed and inactive Some ion channels need to be activatedin order to open and allow ions to pass into or out of the cellThese ion channels are sensitive to the environment and can changetheir shape accordingly Ion channels that change their structurein response to voltage changes are called voltagegated ionchannels Voltagegated ion channels regulate the relativeconcentrations of different ions inside and outside the cell Thedifference in total charge between the inside and outside of thecell is called the membrane potentialIon channel configurations Voltagegated ionchannels are closed at the resting potential and open in responseto changes in membrane voltage After activation they becomeinactivated for a brief period and will no longer open in responseto a signalResting Membrane PotentialFor quiescent cells the relativelystatic membrane potential isknown as the resting membrane potential The resting membranepotential is at equilibrium since it relies on the constantexpenditure of energy for its maintenance It is dominated by theionic species in the system that has the greatest conductanceacross the membrane For most cells this is potassium Aspotassium is also the ion with the mostnegative equilibriumpotential usually the resting potential can be no more negativethan the potassium equilibrium potentialA neuron at rest is negatively charged because the inside of acell is approximately 70 millivolts more negative than the outside70 mV this number varies by neuron type and by species Thisvoltage is called the resting membrane potential and is caused bydifferences in the concentrations of ions inside and outside thecell If the membrane were equally permeable to all ions each typeof ion would flow across the membrane and the system would reachequilibrium Because ions cannot simply See Answer

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