None Switch: Unpacking the Action Potential (Section 1)

Your brain speaks in electricity — tiny, rapid bursts called action potentials. In this episode, we break down the signal that carries information through your nervous system at lightning speed. Normally, a neuron’s interior is slightly negative compared to the outside — but when an action potential hits, that balance flips in a split second, and the inside becomes positive.

This brief electrical surge, also known as a spike or nerve impulse, races along the axon without losing strength. Every thought, movement, and sensation you have depends on the frequency and pattern of these impulses — the brain’s own version of Morse code.

Join us as we explore how neurons generate and send these powerful signals, and how a single pulse of electricity becomes the foundation for everything your nervous system does