Question

Describe the differences in the action potentials from the different stimuli(air, touch, sound)? How did the response you measured in the ventral nerve cord change with different sound levels?Did different types of stimuli activate different sensory spines on the cockroach cerci? Suggest other factors
that could influence the amplitude of the action potentials.

this is a neuroscience lab question. i dont understand how to explain. but everytime, air( wind), sound (clap), and touch(wooden probe) was given to the cockroach's cerci, it created a spike in the labchart (a software we usd). Hope someone can help me. Thank you

Answer 1

Neurons respond to various stimuli like touch, light, sound and so on. The axons and dendrites vary in number and length to conduct impulses away from the cell body of the nerve cell. Impulses are conducted through the neurons due to the creation of membrane potential across the cell membrane. The voltmeter helps in measuring the difference in the distribution of ions between inside and outside. The difference in potential between inside to outside is referred to as resting membrane potential. In neurons, the stimuli can change the potential difference by opening the sodium channels of the membrane as neurotransmitters trigger the sodium channels specifically. The voltage is reduced across the membrane when the sodium ions flow into the cell. So, the movement of sodium ions into inside and potassium ions to outside creates a resting potential. But, movement of sodium ions to outside and more potassium ions into inside of the cell creates the movement of the action potential.

The different stimuli probably create different potentials by influencing different number of sodium channels across the membrane leading to changes in potential difference. The intensity of the potential difference created in the cockroach cerci was different with different stimuli.