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06 Nerve Impulse Notes to

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Nerve Impulses
How does an impulse travel along a nerve pathway?
Review “Best of”, filling in your notes as you go.

Effector
Interneuron
Motor neuron
C
Receptor
Sensory neuron
Stimulus
B

F D

A
• Nerve impulses have a domino effect.

• Through a chain of chemical events, the dendrites

pick up an impulse that’s shuttled through the
axon and transmitted to the next neuron.
The entire impulse passes through a
neuron in about 7 milliseconds- faster
than a lightning strike.

Introductory animation
 Step 1
Resting Potential
(the nerve fiber is not sending a signal)

• NaK pumps in the cell

membrane actively • Resting potential
transport 3 Na+ ions out of animation and quiz
the cell for every 2 K+ ions
pumped into the cell
• The result- the interior of
the cell is negatively
charged with respect to the
exterior- polarization
 Step 2
Depolarization
• A threshold stimulus is received.
(the stimulation level that must be
exceeded to elicit a nerve impulse)
• Na+ channels in the membrane open and
Na+ diffuses inward depolarizing the
membrane
• What charge are sodium ions?
• +
• What will happen to the charge inside of
the neuron?
• It will become more +

Depolarization animation
 Step 3
Repolarization

• K+ channels in the
membrane open

• K+ diffuse outward,
repolarizing the
membrane
• Repolarizing
animation
 Step 4
Action Potential
• The resulting action
potential causes a local
bioelectric current that
stimulates adjacent
portions of the membrane
• The wave of action
potential travels the
length of the nerve fiber
as a nerve impulse

• Action potential
propagation animation
 Summary of Nerve Impulse
•Nerve impulse summary video
 Dramatizing an Action Potential
2. What happens to the
1. What is the name charge during an action
of the stimulus that potential?
causes an action
potential?
+++ ------- +++ ---- +++ ----
Threshold stimulus!!!! +++ ------+++------++++
+++ ------- +++ ---- +++ ---
 Dramatizing an Action Potential
Resting 3. During rest, what is the
charge on the outside of the
1. What part of the cell membrane?
neuron does this
rectangle represent? +++ ++++ +++ ++++ +++
Neuron 2. What branch is this? Axon
Cell Body
+++ ++++ +++ ++++ +++ ++
Complete Nerve Impulse
Homework
 The Synapse
• A synapse or synaptic cleft is a gap that
separates the axon of one neuron and the
dendrites of the next neuron.
• *Neurons do not touch.
• Chemicals carry
messages across
the synapse.
 Structures of the synapse

2 Presynaptic cell

Synaptic
knob3

7 8
5 4 6
Postsynaptic cell

Axon, Dendrite, Mitochondria, Neurotransmitter, Receptor site,

Synaptic cleft, Synaptic knob, Synaptic vesicle
What’s happening?
Arrival of the nerve impulse
 Arrival of the nerve impulse

Opening of the
calcium channels

Binding of Ca2+ to synaptic

Neurotransmitter binds to
vesicles, neurotransmitter
receptor
released into the gap

Na+ enter the Ligand-gated channel

Action potential generated in postsynaptic neuron

The synapse animation
 Synaptic transmission
Excitatory
•“+” charged ions are released into
postsynaptic neuron
•May trigger a nerve impulse

Inhibitory
•“-” charged ions are released into
postsynaptic neuron
•Less likely a threshold stimulus will be
reached
Something else to think
about…..

The synaptic knobs of a

thousand or more neurons
may communicate with the
dendrites and cell body of a
single postsynaptic neuron.

What will happen if both

excitatory and inhibitory
signals are received?
 Dendrite
Dramatize it!
neurotransmitters

receptor Na+ receptor

Axon
synapse Dendrite
Cell Body
Cl- Cell Body
Needed:
Synaptic knob
Presynaptic Neuron
Dendrite (1 student)
Cell Body (1 student) Postsynaptic Neuron
Axon (Row 3) Receptors (4 students)
Calcium (1 student) Sodium Ion (1-2 students)
Synaptic Vesicles (4 students) Chlorine Ion (1-2 student)
Neurotransmitters (2 students) Dendrite Branch (3 students)
Cell body (1 student)