Week 12 — Readings & Resources · Nervous Tissue, the Neuron & the Action Potential

Course: Anatomy & Physiology I (BIOL 2301 + BIOL 2101) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Navarro
Objective covered: Objective 6 — Describe nervous tissue (the neuron and neuroglia), explain the resting and action potentials (overview), and describe synaptic transmission.

How to use this page

Everything here is a link to an external resource — open it in your browser, the same way you'd open a YouTube link. Nothing needs to be downloaded.

This week's load is deliberately light: 1 video + 2 short readings + 1 interactive simulation, grouped by the ideas from the lecture. Watch or read one item per group and you're ready for the quiz; do all of them and you'll be very comfortable. Total time is roughly 35–45 minutes if you do everything, far less if you pick one per group.

Order that matches the lecture: ① the neuron & neuroglia → ② the resting potential & the action potential → ③ the synapse & a simulation to play with.

A habit to start now: before you trust any A&P claim — in these resources, in a chatbot, or anywhere — ask the questions from class: Is the resting potential negative (≈ −70 mV)? Is depolarization sodium IN and repolarization potassium OUT? Are the phases in the right order?

① The Neuron & Neuroglia

Maps to Lecture Segments 2–3. A neuron is built to receive a signal (dendrites) and send it on (axon); neuroglia are the support cells that feed, protect, and insulate it.

Video — "The Nervous System, Part 1" (CrashCourse Anatomy & Physiology #8)
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPix_X-9t7E
Why it earns the click: an energetic ~11-minute tour of exactly our week's opening — the nervous system's jobs (sensory → integration → motor), the neuron's parts (≈ 6:20), and the glial cells of the CNS and PNS (≈ 4:17–5:00). Watch the first half closely; it sets up everything the action potential builds on.
⏱ ~11 min

Reading — "Anatomy and Physiology 2e," §12.2 Nervous Tissue (OpenStax)
🔗 https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/12-2-nervous-tissue
Why it's assigned: the cleanest plain-language reference for the parts of a neuron (dendrites, soma, axon, axon terminal, myelin, nodes of Ranvier) and the six neuroglia (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglia, ependymal — CNS; Schwann, satellite — PNS), with clear labeled figures. A free online textbook page, no account needed.
⏱ ~10 min

② The Resting Potential & the Action Potential

Maps to Lecture Segments 3–5. The neuron rests at about −70 mV (inside negative), then fires in a fixed order — depolarization (Na⁺ in) → repolarization (K⁺ out) → hyperpolarization.

Reading — "Anatomy and Physiology 2e," §12.4 The Action Potential (OpenStax)
🔗 https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/12-4-the-action-potential
Why it's assigned: walks through the resting membrane potential, threshold, depolarization and repolarization, and the ion channels behind each — exactly the ordered sequence we built in class. Read it for the order and the ions; you can skim the deeper channel detail (we keep it overview-level — no equations).
⏱ ~12 min

③ The Synapse & a Neuron to Stimulate

Maps to Lecture Segments 7–8. The signal crosses to the next neuron chemically, across the synaptic cleft — and you can watch a neuron fire yourself.

Interactive — PhET "Neuron" simulation (free, no download)
🔗 https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/neuron
Why it earns the click: a free, in-browser simulation where you stimulate a neuron and watch the membrane-potential trace climb and fall as the sodium and potassium channels open. You'll use it in Lab 12 to read voltage values; spend five minutes now getting a feel for the spike.
⏱ ~5 min (browse)

Optional one-stop references (free online)

• Khan Academy — Human Anatomy & Physiology. A free unit with short articles and videos covering the nervous system, the neuron, and the action potential. A good place to return to all term.
  🔗 https://www.khanacademy.org/science/health-and-medicine/human-anatomy-and-physiology
• InnerBody — Interactive Guide to the Nervous System. A free, clickable atlas of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves, with clear write-ups of the neuron, the resting/action potentials, and the synapse. Handy when you want to see the structures in place.
  🔗 https://www.innerbody.com/image/nervov.html

Pick-one quick path (≈20 min total)

In a hurry? Do exactly these two and you'll be ready for the quiz:
1. Watch "The Nervous System, Part 1" (the neuron and the glial cells in one video).
2. Skim OpenStax §12.4 The Action Potential (the phases and the ions — the heart of the quiz).

Heads-up (links rot): these point to outside sites that occasionally move or rename pages. If a link ever fails, tell Prof. Navarro and use the OpenStax or Khan Academy references above in the meantime.