Action potential generation articles from across Nature Portfolio

Action potential generation is the process by which a neuron rapidly depolarizes from a negative resting potential to a more positive potential, and is achieved by influx of cations (sodium ions or calcium ions) through ion channels. It occurs at the action potential initiation zone region of the soma, and is propagated along the axon to downstream targets.

Latest Research and Reviews

Research
12 December 2022 | Open Access

Tagging active neurons by soma-targeted Cal-Light

Techniques for tagging active neurons with high spatiotemporal precision are limited. Here the authors report soma-targeted CalLight (ST-Cal-Light) which selectively converts somatic calcium rise triggered by action potentials into gene expression, and generate a conditional ST-Cal-Light knock-in mouse.
- Jung Ho Hyun
- , Kenichiro Nagahama
- & Hyung-Bae Kwon
Nature Communications 13, 7692
Research
19 May 2022 | Open Access

C. elegans enteric motor neurons fire synchronized action potentials underlying the defecation motor program

Most neurons in the nematode C. elegans communicate in an analog manner. Here, the authors demonstrate that enteric motor neurons can fire all-or-none action potentials, and that this digital communication is important for defecation.
- Jingyuan Jiang
- , Yifan Su
- & Qiang Liu
Nature Communications 13, 2783
Research
30 March 2022 | Open Access

Comparative microelectrode array data of the functional development of hPSC-derived and rat neuronal networks
- Fikret Emre Kapucu
- , Andrey Vinogradov
- & Susanna Narkilahti
Scientific Data 9, 120
Research
04 October 2021 | Open Access

Distinct timescales for the neuronal encoding of vocal signals in a high-order auditory area
- Aurore Cazala
- , Catherine Del Negro
- & Nicolas Giret
Scientific Reports 11, 19672
Research
15 July 2021 | Open Access

Dataset of cortical activity recorded with high spatial resolution from anesthetized rats
- Csaba Horváth
- , Lili Fanni Tóth
- & Richárd Fiáth
Scientific Data 8, 180
Research
05 July 2021 | Open Access

Purkinje cell axonal swellings enhance action potential fidelity and cerebellar function

Axonal swellings have been found on Purkinje cell axons in the cerebellum both during development and disease. The authors show that axons with swellings propagate action potentials with higher fidelity than those without and that mice with more axonal swellings learn cerebellar-related tasks better.
- Daneck Lang-Ouellette
- , Kim M. Gruver
- & Alanna J. Watt
Nature Communications 12, 4129

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News and Comment

Research Highlights | 13 February 2023

To fire or not to fire: decisions mediated by localized processing and dendritic spikes

Akiko Hayashi-Takagi discusses the discovery of dendritic ‘NMDA spikes’ in 2000 and its transformation of our understanding of neural processing.
- Akiko Hayashi-Takagi
Nature Reviews Neuroscience 24, 194
Comments & Opinion
15 July 2022 | Open Access

Timing is everything: structural insights into the disease-linked Kv3 channels controlling fast action-potential firing in the brain

Kv3 channels enable neurons to fire at very high frequencies (>100 Hz) which is fundamental to brain development and our ability to make sense of the world at large. Cryo-EM and structure-function studies by Chi et al. now uncover Kv3 channel gating mechanisms and support new precision medicine approaches for CNS diseases.
- Martin J. Gunthorpe
Nature Communications 13, 4086
Research Highlights | 06 May 2022

Dopamine surprises
- Shari Wiseman
Nature Neuroscience 25, 531
Research Highlights | 19 July 2016

Local tuning of spike shape

In stellate cell axons, axon potential width is determined in a synapse-specific manner by the compartmentalized clustering of Kv3 channels.
- Katherine Whalley
Nature Reviews Neuroscience 17, 466
Research Highlights | 04 November 2015

Nanocrystals: Getting on your nerves
- Fabio Pulizzi
Nature Nanotechnology, 1
Research Highlights | 04 November 2015

Our choice from the recent literature

Nature Nanotechnology 10, 912

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Action potential generation articles from across Nature Portfolio

Latest Research and Reviews

Tagging active neurons by soma-targeted Cal-Light

C. elegans enteric motor neurons fire synchronized action potentials underlying the defecation motor program

Comparative microelectrode array data of the functional development of hPSC-derived and rat neuronal networks

Distinct timescales for the neuronal encoding of vocal signals in a high-order auditory area

Dataset of cortical activity recorded with high spatial resolution from anesthetized rats

Purkinje cell axonal swellings enhance action potential fidelity and cerebellar function

News and Comment

To fire or not to fire: decisions mediated by localized processing and dendritic spikes

Timing is everything: structural insights into the disease-linked Kv3 channels controlling fast action-potential firing in the brain

Dopamine surprises

Local tuning of spike shape

Nanocrystals: Getting on your nerves

Our choice from the recent literature

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