Action potentials are normally carried in only one direction: from the axon hillock toward the axon terminals.If you experimentally depolarize the middle of the axon to threshold,then
A)no action potential will be initiated.
B)an action potential will be initiated and proceed only in the normal direction toward the axon terminal.
C)an action potential will be initiated and proceed only back toward the axon hillock.
D)two action potentials will be initiated,one going toward the axon terminal and one going back toward the hillock.
E)an action potential will be initiated,but it will die out before it reaches the axon terminal.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Action potentials, once initiated, propagate in both directions from the point of initiation. If the middle of an axon is depolarized to threshold, action potentials will be generated and travel both toward the axon terminal and back toward the axon hillock. This is because the depolarization opens voltage-gated ion channels, triggering the action potential, which then propagates away from the point of initiation in both directions due to the nature of the ion channel dynamics and the refractory period that prevents immediate reactivation of the same segment.

Action Potentials Are Normally Carried in Only One Direction: from the Axon