Which term describes communication within a neuron via electric currents along the membrane?

Which term describes communication within a neuron via electric currents along the membrane?

• A. Electrical signaling
• B. Chemical signaling
• C. CSF signaling
• D. Meningeal signaling

Answer: (A)

Electrical signaling describes communication within a neuron through changes in membrane potential caused by ions moving across the membrane, producing currents that propagate along the membrane as an action potential. This mechanism lets a signal travel rapidly from the cell body down the axon to distant parts of the neuron or toward synapses. The key idea is that the message is carried by electrical impulses generated by ion flow, not by chemicals alone. Chemical signaling, by contrast, involves neurotransmitters crossing a synapse to affect another cell, which is outside the current neuron’s membrane. CSF signaling and meningal signaling aren’t standard terms for neuronal communication along the membrane.

Electrical signaling describes communication within a neuron through changes in membrane potential caused by ions moving across the membrane, producing currents that propagate along the membrane as an action potential. This mechanism lets a signal travel rapidly from the cell body down the axon to distant parts of the neuron or toward synapses. The key idea is that the message is carried by electrical impulses generated by ion flow, not by chemicals alone. Chemical signaling, by contrast, involves neurotransmitters crossing a synapse to affect another cell, which is outside the current neuron’s membrane. CSF signaling and meningal signaling aren’t standard terms for neuronal communication along the membrane.