Cranial Nerves Self-quiz!

The Action Potential

Now, a bit more advanced...

Electrical Signaling in the Neuron

This is an experimental technique employed by neuroscience laboratories across the world. It has powerful abilities to assess the electrical properties of individual neurons in vitro, and can uncover any electrochemical or synaptic plasticity that has occurred due to any experimental manipulations such as stress, learning, drug exposure, optogenetic stimulation, or any behavioral task.

The Voltage Clamp Method

As we move from the basics of the action potential and the resting membrane potential to the electrodynamics of the neuron, we find ourselves at the presynaptic junction of neurotransmission. Now we move across the synapse from the presynaptic cell to the postsynaptic cell, with the next critical players in our picture being the actual receptors that neurotransmitters bind to in order to transmit their neural message. These are two fundamental glutamatergic receptors that interact and contribute to almost every physiological and psychological function of the brain.

AMPA and NMDA Receptors