← all shorts

Concept

action potential

A neuron with an action potential depicted as a wavy line radiating outward, symbolizing the self-propagating electrical pulse that travels along its axon.

A self-propagating electrical pulse in a neuron, lasting roughly one millisecond, in which the membrane voltage swings from about minus seventy millivolts to plus thirty and back. Sodium channels open first, then potassium channels, then both close while the ion pumps reset the gradients. The pulse travels along the axon at speeds from one to over a hundred metres per second depending on diameter and myelination.

Mentioned in 4 articles