Question

Which of the following statements about receptor potentials is FALSE?

A. They are changes in the resting membrane potential of a sensory cell in response to a stimulus.

B. The receptor potential spreads from the cell body of a sensory cell to the axon hillock, where action potentials can be generated

C. One receptor potential always prompts the release of a neurotransmitter that induces an associated neuron to generate an action potential.

D. They must be converted into action potentials to travel long distances.

E. They are graded membrane potentials that can be depolarizing or hyperpolarizing.

Answer 1

Option C is the correct answer. Receptor potential not always prompts the release of a neurotransmitter that induces an associated neuron to generate an action potential. Rather receptor potential can trigger an action potential either within the same neuron or on the adjacent neuron. Within the same neuron, a receptor potential can cause a local current to flow to a region capable of generating an action potential by opening voltage-gated ion channels. A receptor potential can also cause neurotransmitters' release from one cell that will act on another cell, generating an action potential in the second cell. Receptor potential not always sufficient to produce an action potential. The generation of an action potential depends on the temporal summation of successive receptor potentials.