Chapter 39.2, Problem 1SB

Summary Introduction

To review:

The mechanism that ensures that the conduction of an electrical impulse in a neuron occurs in one direction from the cell body toward the axon.

Introduction:

The neurons transmit electrical impulses in the form of the action potential. The electrical impulses are generated due to the difference in the charges between the inner and the outer parts of the plasma membrane. Upon exposure to a stimulus, the neurons open their sodium ion channels that depolarize the plasma membrane and generate an electrical wave. The wave travels along the length of the neuron and is transmitted in the dendrites of the next neuron.