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10 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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conduction velocity
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The speed at which an action potential is propagated along an axon.
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membrane conductance
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The reciprocal of membrane resistance. Changes in membrane conductance result from, and are used to describe, the opening or closing of ion channels.
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myelin
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The multilaminated wrapping around many axons formed by oligodendrocytes or Schwann cells.
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myelination
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Process by which glial cells wrap axons to form multiple layers of glial cell membrane that increase axonal conduction velocity.
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nodes of Ranvier
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Periodic gaps in the myelination of axons where action potentials are generated.
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passive current flow
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Current flow across neuronal membranes that does not entail the action potential mechanism.
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refractory period
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The brief period after the generation of an action potential during which a second action potential is difficult or impossible to elicit.
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saltatory conduction
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Mechanism of action potential propagation in myelinated axons; so named because action potentials “jump” from one node of Ranvier to the next due to generation of action potentials only at these sites.
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tetrodotoxin (TTX)
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An alkaloid neurotoxin, produced by certain puffer fish, tropical frogs, and salamanders, that selectively blocks voltage-sensitive Na+ channels; eliminates the initial Na+ current measured in voltage clamp experiments.
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voltage clamp
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A method that uses electronic feedback to control the membrane potential of a cell, simultaneously measuring transmembrane currents that result from the opening and closing of ion channels.
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