Q161 / 180 · AIIMS 2017 · Zoology

Unidirectional transmission of a nerve impulse through nerve fibre is due to the fact that

  • A
    nerve fibre is insulated by a medullary sheath
  • B
    sodium pump starts operating only at the cyton and then continues into the nerve fibre
  • C
    neurotransmitters are released by dendrites and not by axon endings
  • Correct answer
    D
    neurotransmitters are released by the axon endings and not by dendrites.

Solution

A synapse occurs where the axon of one neuron (the pre-synaptic neuron) meets the dendrite of another (the post-synaptic neuron). At the tip of the pre-synaptic axon is a button shaped swelling called a synaptic knob, inside which are numerous mitochondria and vesicles packed with a substance called a neurotransmitter which at the time of nerve impulse conduction diffuse across the space and bind to receptors in the membrane of the post-synaptic cell. This opens ion channels in the post-synaptic membrane resulting in a change in its membrane potential and in the consequent generation of a nerve impulse.

Hence, the correct answer is option: 'D'.

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