9/04 Class 5 Flashcards
Where is one place that we have a lot of Chloride permeability?
In neurons
The membrane potential permeable to multiple ions will reflect which ion?
The ion with the most permeability
If the Nernst potential for K+ is -91, and a cell is ONLY permeable to K+, then what is the lowest limit for cell membrane potential?
-91
If the Nernst Potential for K+ is -91, the Nernst potential for Na+ is 61, and the cell is permeable to both ions, what will the membrane potential be of the cell?
Somewhere between -91 and +61, depending on how permeable each of those ions are
When an action potential happens, the cell becomes more positive than 0. What is the mechanism behind this?
The cell becomes more permeable to sodium than it does to potassium
What are the channels called that are open all the time to it’s specific ion?
leak channels
If you have bad hyperkalemia, and your potassium is 8 in the ECF (ICF is still 120), what would potassium want to do? What does that do to the overall cell membrane potential?
It will want to move out at a slower rate than it would in it’s normal concentrations of 4/120
It shifts it more positively because less potassium is leaving the cell, making the cell more positive.
Why is it important for cells to get back to their resting state?
So that they are reset and ready to be fired again.
What does Vrm mean?
resting membrane potential
Why does a patient with a K+ of 12 have VFib?
Because K+’s concentration gradient has increased trifold, making K+ less likely to leave the cell, which makes the cell more positive. Since the cell is so positive, it can never get back to the resting state, making it overreact.
What is depolarization?
To become less polar (or more + charged) usually means stimulated or turned on
Define cell polarization
A difference in electrical charge between inside and outside of the cell. (negative inside, positive outside)
Define hyperpolarized?
To become more polar (or more - charged) usually means inhibited (or more - charged and more difficult to excite)
circled part of image
Define repolarize
to return to Vrm from a depolarized state.
What is another way to describe a “polarized cell”?
a normal cell polarity
So resting cells are said to be polarized. And by convention, because they’re usually negatively charged, we just say that that’s normal cell polarity at rest.
If a cell becomes more positively charged, we say that it is
depolarized
What does a plateau period on an action potential graph drawing of a heart cell tell us?
The plateau usually defines how well the heart muscles are going to pump (squeeze). A longer plateau=a stronger pump.
Do all action potential graphs look the same?
No, they look different for different areas in the body. Action potentials are usually specialized for specific organs.
What does conductance mean?
It’s the relative ease in which an ion can get across the cell wall.
How long are sodium channels open in an action potential?
a very short amount of time
What is repolarization dependent on?
specialized potassium channels that open up after the cell has been depolarized
What are the special potassium channels called in an action potential?
Voltage Gated K+ channels