Neuromuscular Structure and Function Flashcards
what 2 ions are responsible for changes in membrane potential?
- Na+
- K+
what 2 processes control resting membrane potential?
- diffusion
- active transport
what has the greatest influence on membrane potential
active transport of intra-cellular K+ and extracellular Na+
what is an anion?
a negative ion, usually set up in electrodes.
Overall, at rest, is the inside of the cell more negative or more postive compared to the outside?
more negative that the outside
what is the value of the resting membrane potential of the inside of a neurone cell in mV?
- -70mV
what does pumps 3Na+ into the cell and 2K+ out called?
Na+,K+, -ATPase
in all cells, what 2 things does Na+ and K+ being constantly pumped across the cell membrane maintain?
maintains:
- high Na+ concentration in the ECF and low Na+ concentration in the ICF
- high K+ concentration in the ICF and low K+ concentration in the ECF
what allows for constant diffusion of Na+ into the cells?
Na+ channels that are always open (leaky)
what allows for constant diffusion of K+ out of the cell?
K+ channels that are always open (leaky)
what is the relationship between pumping of Na+,K+ -ATPase and diffusion of Na+ and K+ when the cell is at rest?
at rest, pumping of Na+,K+ -ATPase exactly equals the diffusion of Na+ and K+
outline the ion fluxes that occur during an action potential in 10 steps
- Na+/K+ -ATPase actively maintains membrane potential of -70mV when no stimulus occurs
- IF stimulus causes AP TO RESCH THRESHOLD:
- stimulus causes some Na+ ion channels to open allowing some Na+ ions into the axon amnd membrane potential is less negative as Na+ diffuse into axon, around -55mV, but not enough to cause depolarisation
- IF ACTION POTENTIAL CAUSED BY STIMULUS REACHES THRESHOLD:
- ALL Na+ ion channels open, so there is a rapid influx of Na+ ions
- when membrane potential reaches +40mV, ALL Na+ channels close
- at the same membrane potential of +40mV, ALL K+ ion channels open
- there is rapid efflux of K+ ions, so electrical charge inside axon falls as K+ ions move out of axon, so axon membrane starts to be repolarised back to original -70mV
- K+ ion channels remain open until membrane potential reaches -80/-90mV, which is called hyperpolarisation
- this causes a refractory period where the axon membrane cannot be stimulated to propagate another action potential
- the Na+/K+ -ATPase now pumps 3Na+ in and 2K+ out, allowing the membrane potential to go from hyper-polarised back to resting potential of -70mV
what does the refractory period affect in the motor unit?
affects motor unit firing rate
how do you propagate an action potential in different directions, and why would we do this?
- propagate action potential in different directions through external electrical stimulation
- do this to investigate if there is nerve disorders and potentially where they are located
what is a node of Ranvier?
area of an axon with NO myelin AND HIGH density of Na+/K+ -ATPase