An inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP) is a signal that makes a neuron more negatively charged, decreasing the likelihood of sending a signal. Neurotransmitters cause changes in the neuron’s electrical charge by opening gated ion channels. Excitatory postsynaptic potentials depolarize the neuron, making it more positive and closer to sending a signal. The axon hillock is where signals are added, and if there are enough excitatory potentials, an action potential will fire. Too many inhibitory potentials can prevent an action potential.
An inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP) is a signal sent from the synapse of one neuron, or nerve cell, to the dendrites of another. The inhibitory postsynaptic potential changes the charge of the neuron to make it more negatively charged. This makes the neuron less likely to send a signal to other cells.
When a neuron is at rest, or is not affected by any signal, it has a negative electrical charge. An inhibitory postsynaptic potential hyperpolarizes the neuron, making its charge even more negative, or farther from zero. An excitatory postsynaptic potential depolarizes the neuron, which makes its overall charge more positive or closer to zero.
Changes in the neuron’s electrical charge are caused when neurotransmitters, chemicals used by nerve cells for signaling, are released from a nearby cell and bind to the neuron. These neurotransmitters cause gated ion channels to open, allowing electrically charged molecules to flow into or out of the cell. An inhibitory postsynaptic potential is caused by positively charged ions leaving the cell or negatively charged ions entering it.
A neuron is shaped like a tree, with a cell body at the top from which dendrites extend like the branches of a tree. On the other side of the neuron, a long trunk or axon extends to other neurons. The axon terminates in axon terminals or synapses, which send chemical signals across a gap called the synaptic cleft. These chemical signals bind to the dendrites of other neurons and cause excitatory or inhibitory postsynaptic potentials.
A single neuron can receive many signals from other neurons, some excitatory and some inhibitory. These signals are added spatially and temporally to the axon hillock, a small hill at the beginning of the axon. The farther a signal has to travel to reach the axon hillock, the less effect it will have. Also, the longer the excitatory or inhibitory postsynaptic potential lasts, the greater the effect it will have when it reaches the axon hillock.
If there are enough excitatory postsynaptic potentials to make the neuron much more positively charged, an action potential will fire. An action potential is an electrical signal sent down a neuron’s axon. It causes synapses at the end of the axon to release neurotransmitters, which send signals to other neurons. However, too many inhibitory postsynaptic potentials can nullify the effect of excitatory potentials and prevent an action potential.
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