Electrical Activity of Neurons

Neurons encode information with electrical signals and transmit that information to other neurons by synapses. The action potential is a very important electrical signal, often called a spike because it typically occurs in less than a second and involves a big voltage change, for a cell, of many tens of millivolts.

Also featured on the HHMI DVD, Making Your Mind: Molecules, Motion, and Memory, available free from HHMI.