Questions and Answers
What is the main reason why action potentials do not travel back toward the cell body?
Sodium channels behind the traveling zone of depolarization remain inactivated, making the membrane temporarily refractory.
Why does an action potential move only toward the synaptic terminals along the axon?
The sodium channels behind the traveling depolarization zone are inactivated, making the membrane refractory to further input.
What defines the movement of a nerve impulse along the axon, likened to a cascade of events triggered by knocking over dominos?
The all-or-none nature of an action potential.
What happens to sodium channels immediately behind the traveling zone of depolarization during an action potential?
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What triggers a new action potential after the refractory period is complete?
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How does the frequency of action potentials convey information in a neuron?
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Why does an action potential move only toward the synaptic terminals along the axon?
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What makes an action potential an all-or-none event?
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How do action potentials contribute to signal transmission between neurons?
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What is the primary reason behind the inability of action potentials to travel back toward the cell body?
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Why does the movement of a nerve impulse along the axon resemble a cascade of events triggered by knocking over dominos?
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What role does the refractory period play in ensuring unidirectional action potential propagation?
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