Neural facilitation
Neural Facilitation
Neural facilitation (pronunciation: /ˈnʊərəl fəˌsɪlɪˈteɪʃən/) is a concept in neuroscience and physiology that describes the increase in nerve impulse conduction that occurs when a nerve is stimulated repeatedly.
Etymology
The term "neural facilitation" is derived from the Latin neuralis meaning "of the nerves" and facilitas meaning "ease or readiness".
Overview
Neural facilitation is a process that increases the likelihood of a neuron firing an action potential. This can occur through various mechanisms, such as the increase in the number of receptor sites, or the increase in the sensitivity of the receptor sites to a particular neurotransmitter.
Mechanisms
There are several mechanisms through which neural facilitation can occur. These include:
- Temporal Summation: This occurs when a single presynaptic neuron fires action potentials so rapidly that the postsynaptic neuron does not have time to return to its resting state between signals.
- Spatial Summation: This occurs when multiple presynaptic neurons fire at the same time, causing a greater amount of neurotransmitter to be released into the synapse, thus increasing the likelihood of an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron.
Related Terms
- Neural Inhibition: The opposite of neural facilitation, neural inhibition refers to the decrease in the likelihood of a neuron firing an action potential.
- Long-Term Potentiation: A long-lasting increase in signal transmission between two neurons that results from stimulating them synchronously.
- Post-Tetanic Potentiation: A form of synaptic plasticity that is induced by a brief high-frequency stimulation of afferent fibers.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Neural facilitation
- Wikipedia's article - Neural facilitation
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