007 What is an action Potential

http://www.interactive-biology.com. In this episode, I answer a question that is fundamental to our understanding of the nervous system. That question is - What is an action potential/nerve impulse.

Action potentials are the signals that are sent throughout the nervous system via axons. They form the basis of all of the communication that happens in the nervous system.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• action potential
• axon
• neuron
• axon hillock
• nerve impulse
• nervous system
• interactive biology

[punkvijay224]

man you are super-duper cool teacher, that is what we all students need!! and your videos are really helping me a lot!!

thanks a lot!

[InteractiveBiology]

@punkvijay224 Thank you :) Glad to know the videos are helping. Please stay tuned for more Biology videos to be uploaded to the site. have fun!

[Whocares05050]

Good videos but please get to the point faster. thanks.

[InteractiveBiology]

@Whocares05050 Thank you! And, thank you for your suggestion. That will help us make our videos even better. Please stay tuned, we have more Biology videos coming very soon!

[InteractiveBiology]

LOL! 

[kvmackay1321]

Seriously, you are great. You make it so clear! Textbook is ridiculous, wish I thought to look concepts on youtube early, but made it in just before my final! Thanks!

[InteractiveBiology]

@kvmackay1321 Well, good luck with your exams. We hope you'll ace it with Leslie's help :) Have fun learning!

[sushanta313]

Can You do a video on how the electrical impulse traveled through out the axons and what causes them to move?

[taramcgara1]

Awesome! I am a TA for a College Anatomy course and I refer students to your videos for clarification and review.

[ahmad21352]

what is resting potential?

[aaahhhkkk2010]

@Caribbeanpearl09 simpler, at the first end of action potential Na channels have been opened once earlier...It won't be opened again until the K channels closed...at the second end Na channels haven't been opened earlier, think of them as virgins, so any change in voltage will open them, then Na chan. will be closed in the new area of the axon, K will open, Na will wait for them to close in order to be able to open again, virgins of the newer area will open...and so on and so on...

[aaahhhkkk2010]

@Caribbeanpearl09 No you know that the Na channels are stimulated by the voltage changes..The depolarization state will cause a difference in voltage, this will stimulate any nearby Na channels to open...K channels are slower than Na ones in closing, Na channels on the first end of Action pot. will wait for K channels to be closed, Na chan. won't open even if there was a stimulus as long as K chan. are opened...This will cause the movement of Action pot. in one direction in the axon..

[Caribbeanpearl09]

so action potential is propagated down an axon by stimulation from one action potential to the next????????

[Caribbeanpearl09]

@aaahhhkkk2010  Is that how it is propagated down an axon??

[LucidDreamz]

No offense but that was a over simplification of this concept. You said nothing about what drives an action potent and it's functioning. How are you going to explain AP without even mentioning Na+/K+, voltage-gated channels, electrical excitability, etc.

[aaahhhkkk2010]

@Lynn1Fargo Hey I can answer :D, there is a K movement only because K ion channels are the only channels that remain opened during resting potential... so any change in the resting potential will depend directly on K..