6B Nervous coordination Flashcards
When a neurone is resting is the outside or inside more positive?
Outside because there is more positive ions so the membrane is polarised
What does polarised mean?
There is a difference in charge (potential difference)
What do sodium potassium pumps do and how many?
Active transport to move 3 sodiums (na) out for 2 pottasiums (k) in
What is the function of potassium ion channels
Allow facilitated diffusion of potassium ions out of the neurone down their concentration gradient
What is the movement of sodium and potassium ions across a resting cell membrane?
- Sodium potassium pump moves sodium out but since the membrane is impermeable they wont diffuse back in
- This creates an electrochemical gradient because more positive outside the cell than inside
- The sodium potassium pump also pumps potassium ions in
- At rest more potassium ion channels are open so potassium can diffuse back out
Why are the sodium ion channels voltage gated?
They only open when the potential difference reaches a certain voltage
What are the 5 steps during an action potential
- Stimulus
- Depolarisation
- Repolarisation
- Hyperpolarisation
- Resting potential
What happens in the first stage during an action potential?
Stimulus
- Excites cell membrane so sodium ion channels open
- Membrane more permeable to sodium so they diffuse in creating an electrochemical gradient as inside becomes less negative
What happens in the second stage during an action potential?
Depolarisation
- If potential reaches threshold of -55mv more sodium channels open diffuse in
What happens in the third stage during an action potential?
Repolarisation
- At +30mv the sodium channels shut and potassium open
- Potassium ions diffuse out of neurone down gradient
- Membrane returns to resting potential
What happens in the fourth stage during an action potential?
Hyperpolarisation
- Too many potassium ions diffuse out
- Becomes more negative than resting potential of -70mv
What happens in the fifth stage during an action potential?
Resting Potential
- Ion channels at rest
- Sodium potassium pump return to resting potential by pumping sodium out and potassium in until stimulated again
What is the refractory period?
A time delay between one action potential and the next so they do not overlap, travel in one direction and allow the ion channels to recover
What is the all or nothing principle?
An action potential will always fire with the sane change in voltage no matter how big the stimulus but if a threshold isnt reached it will not fire
A bigger stimulus will not cause a bigger action potential but cause them to fire more frequently
What 3 factors affect the speed of conduction
- Myelination
- Axon diameter
- Temperature
How does myelination affect the speed of conduction
- it is an electrical insulator made up of schwann cells with nodes of ranvier between them where sodium ion channels are concentrated
- myelinated neurones allow depolarisation to happen as the electrical charge can jump from node to node instead of as a wave along the whole length - SALTATORY CONDUCTION
How does axon diameter affect speed of conduction
Bigger diameter = quicker conduction as there is less resistance to the flow of ions in the cytoplasm so depolarisation reaches other parts of cell membrane faster
How does temperature affect speed of conduction
Speed increases as temperature increases as ions diffuse faster
After 40c the pumps and channels (proteins) start to denature
What is a synapse?
The junction between a neurone and a neurone, or neurone and effector
What is the synaptic cleft
The tiny gap between cells at a synapse
What is the presynaptic neurone
The one before the synapse that has a swelling called a synaptic knob
What is inside a synaptic vesicle
chemicals which are Neurotransmitters