Term
| neuron excitability vs. conductibility |
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Definition
| they respond to stimuli by producing an electrical signal vs. they communicate by sending electrical signals |
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Term
| resting membrane potential |
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Definition
| the difference in the slightly more negatively-charged interior of a resting neuron from the exterior surface that produces an electrical charge |
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Term
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Definition
| the interior of the membrane of a cell becoming less negative after it receives an excitatory stimulus that makes it more permeable to Na+ |
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Term
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Definition
| membrane permeability to Na+ falls and increases to K+, so the interior of the membrane once again becomes more negative than the exterior |
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Term
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Definition
| the period during repolarization when the charge goes below the rmp |
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Term
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Definition
| an a.p. is always the same (constant amplitude and duration), it is never partially transmitted or smaller if a stimulus is smaller |
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Term
| absolute refractory period |
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Definition
| a time when the neuron is insensitive to further stimulus and cannot generate another a.p. |
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Term
| relative refractory period |
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Definition
| as Na+ permeability is gradually being restored to normal, an especially strong stimulus may provoke another a.p. |
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Term
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Definition
| maintains the concentration differences of Na+ and K+ across the membrane that are needed for normal function by pumping 3 Na+ out and 2 K+ in (b/c Na+ leaks in and K+ leaks out) |
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