Biology is designed for multi-semester biology courses for science majors. It is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand. To meet the needs of today’s instructors and students, some content has been strategically condensed while maintaining the overall scope and coverage of traditional texts for this course. Instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand—and apply—key concepts.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the basis of the resting membrane potentialExplain the stages of an action potential and how action potentials are propagatedExplain the similarities and differences between chemical and electrical synapsesDescribe long-term potentiation and long-term depression

Insert channels in a membrane and see what happens. See how different types of channels allow particles to move through the membrane.

Insert channels in a membrane and see what happens. See how different types of channels allow particles to move through the membrane.

Stimulate a neuron and monitor what happens. Pause, rewind, and move forward in time in order to observe the ions as they move across the neuron membrane.

Psychology is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements for the single-semester introduction to psychology course. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of core concepts, grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research. The text also includes coverage of the DSM-5 in examinations of psychological disorders. Psychology incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.Senior Contributing AuthorsRose M. Spielman, Formerly of Quinnipiac UniversityContributing AuthorsKathryn Dumper, Bainbridge State CollegeWilliam Jenkins, Mercer UniversityArlene Lacombe, Saint Joseph's UniversityMarilyn Lovett, Livingstone CollegeMarion Perlmutter, University of Michigan

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Identify the basic parts of a neuronDescribe how neurons communicate with each otherExplain how drugs act as agonists or antagonists for a given neurotransmitter system

The action potential is the mechanism by which nerve cells communicate and conduct information. This short lecture covers topics such as generation of neuronal action potential (nerve impulse), neuronal polarization, depolarization, repolarization, hyperpolarization, resting membrane potential, threshold potential, and refractory period.
Duration: 3:24