Final answer:
The correct term for the shifts in electrical charge of a neuron is an Action Potential, which involves the sequential opening and closing of ion channels as the signal propagates along the neuron's axon.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term for the sequence of shifts in the electrical charge of a neuron is Action Potential. An action potential is a momentary reversal of the electrical charge across a neuron’s membrane, which propagates a localized membrane depolarization along the axon towards a synapse. It’s initiated when a neuron receives a chemical signal from another neuron, causing sodium ion channels to open and allowing positive sodium ions to flow back into the cell, reversing the charge. This process is crucial for the transmission of signals within a neuron, from dendrite to axon terminal.
The action potential moves down the axon as voltage-gated ion channels are opened by the spreading depolarization. In myelinated axons, this conductance is saltatory, meaning the electrical events seem to “jump” from one Node of Ranvier to the next, thus increasing the speed of transmission. Graded potentials, however, are local changes in membrane potential associated with dendrites and their occurrence is determined by the size of the initiating stimulus.