An action potential is a rapid, temporary change in membrane potential (electrical charge), and it is caused by sodium rushing to a neuron and potassium rushing out. The electrical signals are action potentials, which transmit the information from one of a neuron to the other the chemical signals are neurotransmitters, which transmit the information from one neuron to the next. Neurons communicate via both electrical signals and chemical signals. Recent evidence suggests that glia may also assist in some of the signaling functions of neurons. Glia can be compared to the workers at the electric company who make sure wires go to the right places, maintain the wires, and take down wires that are broken. A neuron can be compared to an electrical wire: it transmits a signal from one place to another. All Khan Academy content is available for free at The nervous system is made up of neurons, the specialized cells that can receive and transmit chemical or electrical signals, and glia, the cells that provide support functions for the neurons. The information below was adapted from OpenStax Biology 35.1 and Khan Academy AP Biology The neuron and nervous system.
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