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Home Q & A Board Biology-Related Homework Help Cell Biology
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nzegbuna.ify nzegbuna.ify
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Posts: 44
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10 years ago
I understand how they form, but what exactly is going on as the action potential propagates down the axon? Is it like a stream of Na+ ions that flow down the axon like water in a pipe, or is it contained on the membrane where it is constantly renewed? Basically, whats an accurate way to picture this propagation?
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fey
wrote...
#1
10 years ago
action potentials are inside the axon. When the axon is stimulated the action potential rises from -70mv to a higher number. When it is highly stimulated and reaches -50mv the sodium gates in the axon open  up letting Na+ ions in and K+ions out. its opens one by one causing a domino effect. then it closes back up.
Zug
wrote...
#2
10 years ago
Consider the axon as a series of transverse slices and consider that the AP is in one slice. Na enters the cell and, yes, flows down the axon to the slice #2 (we really should say the current flows). This will depolarize slice #2 causing an AP to form in this slice. This continues for all slices in the direction of AP propogation.
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