The transmission of an impulse by a nerve fiber is based on the all-or-none principle. Describe this principle

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The transmission of an impulse by a nerve fiber is based on the all-or-none principle. This means that no transmission occurs until the stimulus reaches a set minimum strength, which may vary with different receptors. Once the minimum stimulus or threshold is reached, a maximum impulse is produced. The impulse is then transmitted via a synapse, a specialized knoblike branch ending, with the help of certain chemical agents, across a space separating the axon's end knobs from the dendrites of the next neuron or from a motor end plate attached to a muscle. This space is called a synaptic cleft, and the chemical agents released are called neurotransmitters.