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What is the pathway of a nerve impulse?

What is the pathway of a nerve impulse?

Nerve impulses begin in a dendrite, move toward the cell body, and then move down the axon. A nerve impulse travels along the neuron in the form of electrical and chemical signals. The axon tip ends at a synapse. A synapse is the junction between each axon tip and the next structure.

What are the five steps to the nerve impulse pathway?

What are the five steps to the nerve impulse pathway?

  • Resting potential. The membrane of a neuron is normally at rest with established concentrations of sodium ions (Na+) and potassium ions (K+) on either side.
  • Depolarization. A stimulus begins the depolarization of the membrane.
  • Repolarization.
  • Refractory Phase.

How are nerve impulses transmitted in the sympathetic nervous system?

When the nerve impulse reaches the end of the axon, there are some chemicals released from the neurotransmitters. They diffuse across the synaptic gap, which is the small space present between the axon and the receptors. Nerve impulses can be transmitted either by the electrical synapse or the chemical synapse.

What is a convergent pathway?

Converging pathways involve impulses from several neurons coming together into one neuron. Converging pathways increase sensitivity to excitatory or inhibitory signals. An example of a converging neural pathway would be the convergence of neurons from rods in the retina of an eye.

How does a nerve impulse travel from one neuron to another?

The impulses travel from one neuron to another neuron or body cell by the movement of the neurotransmitters. A nerve impulse traveling through the axon (a long, slender projection arising from the nerve cell) eventually reaches the axon terminal, and then the synaptic knob or terminal button.

What is the correct order for nerve impulses?

The correct order of the parts of the neuron with respect to the direction of the action potential is “dendrite, cell body, axon, synapse”. The dendrites receive impulses from the synapse of another neuron. Then these impulses are propagated towards the neuron cell body then to the axon.

What happens to a nerve impulse?

When a nerve impulse is generated, there is a change in the permeability of the cell membrane . The sodium ions flow inside and potassium ions flow outside, causing a reversal of charges. The cell is now depolarised. This depolarization results in an action potential which causes the nerve impulse to move along the length of the axon.

What is the neural impulse that travels down the nerve cell?

An action potential, also called a nerve impulse, is an electrical charge that travels along the membrane of a neuron. It can be generated when a neuron’s membrane potential is changed by chemical signals from a nearby cell.