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Graded Potentials quiz

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  • Which of the following is not true of graded potentials? A) They occur in the soma and dendrites. B) They can be excitatory or inhibitory. C) They always lead to an action potential. D) They diminish as they spread.
    C) They always lead to an action potential.
  • Which of the following statements is most accurate concerning graded potentials? A) They are all-or-nothing responses. B) They can summate to influence action potential generation. C) They occur only in axons. D) They do not involve ion channels.
    B) They can summate to influence action potential generation.
  • What are the two types of postsynaptic potentials?
    The two types of postsynaptic potentials are excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs).
  • How do EPSPs affect the membrane potential?
    EPSPs depolarize the membrane, making it more positive and increasing the likelihood of an action potential.
  • What is the role of sodium ions in depolarizing graded potentials?
    Sodium ions enter the cell through gated channels, causing depolarization by making the inside of the cell more positive.
  • What happens to a graded potential as it spreads across the membrane?
    As a graded potential spreads, it diminishes in strength due to the loss of sodium ions through leak channels.
  • What is temporal summation?
    Temporal summation is the additive effect of multiple signals from a single neuron overlapping in time.
  • What is spatial summation?
    Spatial summation involves the additive effect of multiple graded potentials from different synapses located close to each other.
  • How can IPSPs affect the likelihood of an action potential?
    IPSPs hyperpolarize the membrane, making it more negative and decreasing the likelihood of an action potential.
  • What is required for summation to trigger an action potential?
    Summation must depolarize the membrane to reach the threshold of negative 55 millivolts to trigger an action potential.