 nerve terminals are generally considered the destination points for electrical signals , which propagate unidirectionally from the soma to nerve terminals . here 
 , we demonstrate that small hyperpolarizations or depolarizations ( ~10 mv ) , generated under physiological conditions in rat nerve terminals , backpropagate up the axon ( ~400  800 m ) , and change the threshold for initiating action potentials and thus firing patterns . 
 these results suggest a novel mechanism for information processing in neurons and neuronal circuits . 
Supplementary Material