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Ion channels that open/close according to whether the neuron has reached threshold.

A) Hippocampus
B) Medulla
C) Pons
D) Thalamus
E) Amygdala
F) Basal Ganglia

User Ldrrp
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1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

Ion channels in neurons open or close when a neuron reaches the threshold, and they are crucial for action potentials and neurotransmission. The thalamus acts as a relay station for sensory information within the CNS.

Step-by-step explanation:

The neuron uses ion channels that open or close in response to the neuron reaching a threshold level of depolarization. These channels can be categorized by how they are gated—some being voltage-gated and others being ligand-gated. For example, binding of a neurotransmitter to a ligand-gated cation channel, such as the nicotinic receptor, specifically allows positively charged ions to flow when a molecule like a neurotransmitter binds to it, creating graded potentials that may initiate an action potential if the threshold is reached.

Action potentials are a crucial part of neurotransmission, involving the sequential opening and closing of voltage-gated and ligand-gated channels along the neuronal axon, leading to membrane depolarization that propagates along an axon toward a synapse. In the context of the central nervous system (CNS) and the relay of sensory information, the thalamus serves as a key relay station, excluding smell, before sensory information is sent to other areas of the brain for further processing.

User Gln
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