Question

When you look at a pointillism painting or a μlti-colored picture, there is a buildup of depolarization as EPSPs arrive at several places in the neuron.

a) True
b) False

Answer 1

It is false that observing pointillism or multi-colored pictures leads to a buildup of EPSPs in a neuron. In reality, neurons integrate EPSPs and IPSPs inputs to determine if the threshold for action potential firing is reached, a process unrelated to visual perception.

Step-by-step explanation:

When you look at a pointillism painting or a multi-colored picture, it is false that there is a buildup of depolarization as EPSPs arrive at several places in the neuron. The accumulation of EPSPs and IPSPs referred to in the question pertains to synaptic inputs received by a neuron and not the visual processing of artwork.

Neurons receive both excitatory and inhibitory inputs from multiple neurons. These inputs can result in local membrane depolarization (EPSPs) or hyperpolarization (IPSPs). When the EPSPs are strong enough to exceed the IPSPs and reach the threshold of excitation, only then will the neuron fire, triggering an action potential. This firing threshold acts like a filter to prevent random "noise" from being transmitted as if it were important information.

The question about a postsynaptic cell with multiple synapses can be illustrated with examples of potential changes: if a neuron receives +5 mV, +7 mV, and +10mV from EPSPs, and -4 mV and -3 mV from IPSPs, the net result would be +15 mV. If this is above the threshold, then the neuron would fire an action potential.