Which is bigger, a graded potential or an action potential? Which travels further? Which initiates the other?
Which is bigger, a graded potential or an action potential? Which travels further? Which initiates the other?
Neurons are a special type of nerve cells with the purpose of transferring information around the body. They are similar to other cells in that they have a cell body with a nucleus and organelles.
Graded potentials originate from the passive electrical property of the neuronal membrane whereas action potentials result from an organized response towards depolarizing stimuli which then involve in a coordinated activity of voltage-gated ion channels. Graded potentials must occur to depolarize the neuron to the threshold before action potentials can occur. Depending on the cell and type and the nature of the stimulus, graded potentials that lead to action potentials are called synaptic potentials (i.e., postsynaptic potential changes in neurons.
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