Compare And Contrast Graded Potentials And Action Potential

Resting membrane potential is the difference in voltage of the fluids inside a cell and outside a cell and the membrane is said to be polarized. According to the book the value of the resting membrane potential varies from -40 mv to -90 mv in different types of neurons. There are two essential factors that build and generate the resting membrane potential: the differences in the ionic composition of the intracellular and extracellular fluids, and the differential permeability of the plasma membrane. When a cell is at the resting stage, the fluid inside of it is more negative than the fluid outside of it, which usually has a charge of 0 mV. This is because of electrically charged particles called ions. Inside the cell, there is a lower …show more content…
Na+ ions are involved in both of these potentials. Both, graded potentials and action potentials result from a depolarization in the resting potential of a plasma membrane. Graded potentials result from the passive electrical property of the neuron membrane, whereas action potential result from an orchestrated response to depolarizing stimuli and involve an activity of voltage-gated ion channels. A graded potential is a difference in charge across the membrane of a cell. If there are enough positive ions that cross to the inside of the cell, then the charge will become less negative and rises to approximately -50 mv, which results in an action potential. The magnitude of the charge of the membrane potential in graded potentials depends on the strength of the stimulus. Action potentials are long-distance signals of axons only found at the pre-synaptic neuron and graded potentials are short-distance signals of dendrites and cell bodies found at the post-synaptic neuron. Graded potentials are not the nerve signals that travel along an axon, but influence their generation. Graded potential can be either depolarization or hyperpolarization. If threshold is reached, depolarization occurs, voltage-gated ion channels open and an action potential is developed. Actions potentials are an “all or nothing” phenomenon, there is no variance …show more content…
The cerebral cortex has deep grooves called fissures that separate some regions. The longitudinal fissure separates the left cerebral hemisphere from the right cerebral hemisphere. On the other hand, the transverse cerebral fissure separates the cerebral hemispheres from the cerebellum. The cerebral cortex contains three kinds of functional areas: Motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas. The motor areas control voluntary movements. The sensory areas are the regions where we have conscious awareness of sensation and the association areas are the areas that interpret and integrates diverse