Sensory perception (neurobiology query)

[Terrence Brannon]

richard.rolfe at bbsrc.ac.uk (Richard Rolfe) writes:

 : 1. Are action potentials ever transmitted along dendrites or only along
 : axons?  

Yes, see

@Article{Schwindt_Crill98,
  author = 	 {P.C. Schwindt and W.E. Crill},
  title = 	 {Synaptically Evoked Dendritic Action Potentials in Rat Neocortical Pyramidal Neurons},
  journal = 	 {Journal of Neurophysiology},
  year = 	 1998,
  volume =	 79,
  pages =	 {2432-2446}
}


 : 2. Does anyone know the rate of transmission of neurotransmitters eg
 : acetylcholine across nematode cuticles and if there are likely to be
 : receptors for neurotransmitters at the end of the anterior sense organs
 : (amphids in nematodes).

use the diffusion equation:

x^2 = 2Dt
x^2 = 4Dt
x^2 = 6Dt

for diffusion in 1,2,3 dimensions respectively... comes out to about 1ms

-- 
     Terrence Brannon * brannon at lnc.usc.edu * http://lnc.usc.edu/~brannon
     USC, HNB, 3614 Watt Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2520 * (213) 740-3397
chicken, (n): the animal you eat before they are born and after they are dead.