Question

When a graded potential arrives at the axon hillock before an earlier graded potential has died out, the two potentials can be added in a process known as ___.

Answer 1

When a graded potential arrives at the axon hillock before an earlier graded potential has died out, the two potentials can be added in a process known as summation, which can be spatial or temporal.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a graded potential arrives at the axon hillock before an earlier graded potential has died out, the two potentials can be added in a process known as summation. Summation can be spatial or temporal.

Spatial summation occurs when multiple graded potentials at different locations on the neuron add up to initiate an action potential. Temporal summation, on the other hand, happens when multiple graded potentials at the same location on the neuron result in a strong signal from one input.

The axon hillock, which is the initial segment of the axon, is where summation takes place. It has a high density of voltage-gated Na channels that initiate the depolarizing phase of the action potential.