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BBI 2007 Session 6

Submitted by Paul Grobstein on Wed, 07/11/2007 - 7:46am

BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR INSTITUTE 2007

Playing with Action Potentials

(more on neuronal membranes being/becoming "leaky" and how/why that leads to action potentials)

Peter Brodfuehrer

Simulation Notes

Some other useful links:

Neurons and electrical potentials
http://www.students.stir.ac.uk/biology/intro/intro.htm

AP Animation
http://psych.hanover.edu/Krantz/neurotut.html

Kimball Biology Webpages
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/C/CNS.html

http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/P/PNS.html#sensory-somatic

Neuroscience for Kids
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/introb.html

AP Animation
http://outreach.mcb.harvard.edu/animations/actionpotential.swf

AP propagation
http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/matthews/actionp.html

Synaptic Transmission
http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/matthews/neurotrans.html

Further thoughts, questions, extensions, ideas in forum below ...

Comments

Thurs. morning conversation

Submitted by Tammi Jordan on Thu, 07/12/2007 - 9:25am.

The comment was made that the younger the student the less resistant, on the other hand I have also found that the older the student the more motivated they are.

membranes

Submitted by Bruce Williamson on Wed, 07/11/2007 - 2:27pm.

Now it is clear that the input must have a certain intensity AND a certain duration in order that an action potential is formed. So the fleeting input may miss out on causing the neuron to "fire". And the light touch (like the mosquito landing) might also fail to register. So too, perhaps the fleeting thought fails to become memory. To make a memory does the thought need to be held long enough? Repeated and mulled over strongly enough? Regards,

Bruce

Action Potentials

Submitted by Cheryl Brown on Wed, 07/11/2007 - 2:23pm.

This afternoon we built on some of the terms and ideas presented by Pual this morning. It was fun playing with the AP Simulator and seeing the correlation between stimulus strength and the duration and number of action potentials. We also learned about ion channels in membranes and how they are gated or non-gated.

The Treshold of Pain

Submitted by Geneva Tolliferreo on Wed, 07/11/2007 - 2:23pm.

Interesting. Very Interesting. PB's presentation, brief and simplistic, allowed for further understanding of the reflex test doctor's conduct during their examination of their patients, namely The Patella Tendon Test. He confirmed for me that our ability to compromise the test by controlling the outcome of the hammer making contact with the tendon below the knee is possible. How does compromising the test change the doctor's findings and treatment/recommendation?

Playing With Action Potentials

Submitted by Diane OFee-Powers on Wed, 07/11/2007 - 2:08pm.

I enjoyed the continuing story of neurons, leaky memebranes, action potentials etc. I am looking forward to continuing the story as it applies to our classroom!

neurons

Submitted by Donna Morris on Wed, 07/11/2007 - 1:55pm.

Until today I had never heard about leaky membranes ,so this was a interesting session on how they cause signals to be transmitted through the nervous system.

Leaky Membranes Response

Submitted by Benjamin Zerante on Wed, 07/11/2007 - 1:44pm.

This afternoon was helpful to continue and advance our thinking about leaky membranes. I have never heard the term "leaky" membranes before today (although the concept is similar to membrane permeability), so this afternoon was helpful in order to provide examples of how a membrane becomes leaky and how that relates to signals being transmitted through the nervous system. Ion channels/pathways are very interesting, and I'm still wrapping my head around imagining the complexity and scope of such a complicated system of information transfer.

neuron thresholds

Submitted by Teresa Albers on Wed, 07/11/2007 - 1:40pm.

Duration and strength can continue to generate action potentials. In the classroom, with behavior problems and understanding how to deal with them. it is always imperative to understand how the teacher, acting as stimulus, propogates certain behaviors. It is challenging to draw oneself out of the process that promotes or instigates children's reactions.