Sexy Science
Thanks to a conversation I had with one of my friends today, I realized the following:
An action potential* is much like the male orgasm.
Case in point:
The AP has a critical threshold level where, once this threshold is reached, there is no turning back. It is at the point of no return. Once an action potential has been triggered, it must complete its course across the cell.
The neuron cannot fire again during its refractory period. It requires a certain window of time to return to normal before it can again reach threshold.
Slam dunk.
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*Or "nerve impulse," or "AP," or, as "Neuroscience for Kids" very pervily describes it "an explosion of... activity."
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