Biology A-Level
Temporal and spatial summation
What Temporal and spatial summation means in Biology A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definition of Temporal and spatial summation
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Reference: AQA
Summation allows sub-threshold impulses to reach threshold: spatial uses multiple neurones firing simultaneously, while temporal uses one neurone firing rapidly.
Topics that use Temporal and spatial summation
- Synaptic transmission (A-level only) (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- acetylcholinesterase inhibition
- agonists and antagonists
- excitatory only at the neuromuscular junction
- Inhibitory synapses and hyperpolarisation
- motor end plate
- postsynaptic receptors
- shared transmission mechanism
- stating the direction of change
Using Temporal and spatial summation in the exam
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