Reversal PotentialsKnow this make it go back towards the nerst

equibrium potential

Integration = doing something at the axon hillock

o Temporal summation: how do you integrate 2 synaptic
activities at the same timethink about the constant of
time constants i.e. if a neuron has a short time constant it
has a shorter time to integrate and vice versa
o Spatial summation: Has to do with length constants

Why are neurons able to integrate synaptic potentials

Capacitance the capacitor can act as an integrator i.e. dumping
water in a bucket ( a non leaky bucket), the bucket is integrating
the number of of additions of water
o The holes in the bucket are the ion channels in the neuron
and this is why time constants are important you have to
fill the bucket faster than it empties
Complex architecture
Leaky conductor properties: The leakiness of the neurons is very
important to the functioning of the neuron
Uneven distribution of ion channels: the last step in the
integration process: the axon hillock is the main integrating body
it has a lot of sodium channels
o The action potential threshold will be higher in locations
that have a fewer sodium channels i.e sodium channels are
very high in the axon hillock and this is the reason that the
firing happens here
Currents that move charge from one location to another cause the
voltage changes
Inward currents depolarize (adding positive charge or removing
negative charge)
o An EPSP is adding positive and removing negative while an
IPSP is removing positive or adding negative charge
At the point where the concentration force and the EMD are the
same size but opposite direction, that is the nerst eq potential.
The EMF force and the fusion forces are opposite sign same
magnitude.
Link between nerst potentials and driving forces
o V= voltage is generated by a current (movement of ions)
R = 1/G therefore V = I/G (G = the number of ions
channels open)
Vm = Enerst Na+ no current here because the system
is at equilibrium

I(ion)= G(ion) * (Vm-Eion) opening of the ion

channels will lead to an increase in G
o If the Vm is = to the E nerst then you will
have the Vm-Eion equaling 0 and so you
can open as many ion channels as you
want but it wont matter
o Lets say the Vm (resting membrane
potential) is -65mV
o The ENa+ is +40mV so when there is an
opening of sodium ion channels you will
have a current flowing
o The EK+ is -90mV plugging this into
the equation means that the sign will flip
and therefore the movement will switch
directions and there is a driving force for
potassium
o Vm = -65mV (remember that it is not the
sign of the ion channel that matters but it
is where it is moving that matters and
this depends on the resting membrane
potential and the Nerst eq potential
ECl- = -45mV therefore when you
open the Cl ions channels the
chloride will move out to reach its
equilibrium potential and this will
be excitatory
o Vm = -60V and ECl = -60mV
Throw some GABA or Glycine to
open the channels and you wont
get a current because there is no
driving force, but opening the
channels means that G will be
higher, and thus the R will be lower
Note that when resistance R goes
down the conductance goes up i.e.
more of the current will be leaving
the axon through these opened ion
channels and therefore there will
be shunting of the current moving
towards the axon hillock (the
length constant will decrease and
the action potential wont make it
to the axon hillock for integration).

Khan academy Spatial and Temporal integration

PSPs
The depolarizing voltage lasts a lot longer because of the
capacitance (the current moves charge on to the capacitance)
it doesnt dissipate immediately because
Test: be able to figure out if things get bigger or smaller, apply
reversal potential stuff, maybe even shunting synapses and
some cable property stuff, we need to know how lamda scales to
cross sectional diameter of a fiber, understand Kirchoffs current
law
Test:
There are local circuits (graded potentials) that follow the action
potentials
myelin lowes the Rm