Card 8 / 22: Visit this site ( http://openstaxcollege.org/l/neurolab ) to see a virtual neurophysiology lab, and to observe electrophysiological processes in the nervous system, where scientists directly measure the electrical signals produced by neurons. Often, the action potentials occur so rapidly that watching a screen to see them occur is not helpful. A speaker is powered by the signals recorded from a neuron and it "pops" each time the neuron fires an action potential. These action potentials are firing so fast that it sounds like static on the radio. Electrophysiologists can recognize the patterns within that static to understand what is happening. Why is the leech model used for measuring the electrical activity of neurons instead of using humans?
Answer:
The properties of electrophysiology are common to all animals, so using the leech is an easier, more humane approach to studying the properties of these cells. There are differences between the nervous systems of invertebrates (such as a leech) and vertebrates, but not for the sake of what these experiments study.
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