Resting Membrane and Action Potentials Flashcards
What is a neuron at rest?
Unstimulated/inactive
Can change when excited by input
How does a negative charge build-up inside the cell?
The membrane bilayer is selectively permeable
Ions cannot cross easily which results in a polarized membrane (-70 mV)
Ions are unequally distributed across the membrane
How do we record membrane potential?
Use intracellular and extracellular electrodes to detect the difference between the inside and outside of cells
What is the ionic distribution outside of the cell?
Higher [Na+] outside of the cell
- the membrane extremely resists passage
- driven inside cell by electrostatic forces and concentration gradient
Higher [Cl-] concentration outside of the cell
- membrane slightly resists passage
- more at equilibrium
What is the ionic distribution inside of the cell?
Higher [K+] inside of the cell
- driven inside by electrostatic pressure and outside by a concentration gradient
- membrane is highly permeable to K+ because they are more leaky channels
Negatively charged proteins inside
-cannot cross the membrane
What are the factors that maintain resting potential?
Concentration gradient
Electrostatic pressure
Passive forces
Active forces
What is a concentration gradient?
Tend to equally distribute
Move from high to low concentration
What is electrostatic pressure?
Like repels like
Opposites attract
What are passive forces?
Random motion due to selective permeability to ions
What are active forces?
Sodium-potassium pumps; maintain the stability of resting membrane potential
Re-distribution of ions
How do sodium-potassium pumps provide long-term maintenance of resting membrane potential?
Active transporter
Maintains equilibrium potential by continuously transferring 3Na+ out and 2K+ in
How do postsynaptic potentials create excitatory signals?
Excitatory neurotransmitters bind and cause rapid change to the postsynaptic cell
Causes depolarization of the cell (cell becomes less negative)
An excitatory postsynaptic potential increases the likelihood of an action potential
What is an EPSP?
Excitatory postsynaptic potential
Graded response
Bigger stimulation = bigger PSP
larger positive ion influx = larger EPSP
How do postsynaptic potentials create inhibitory signals?
Inhibitory neurotransmitters bind and cause rapid change to the postsynaptic cell Causes hyperpolarization (cell becomes more negative) An inhibitory postsynaptic potential decreases the likelihood of an action potential
What is an IPSP?
Inhibitory postsynaptic potential
Large negative ion influx = larger IPSP
What is a graded response?
The amplitude of the signal proportional to stimulus intensity
Passive decay over space and time
What is a rapid transmission?
Instantaneous rate of transmission
How does the integration of PSPs help the cell depolarization reach threshold?
One EPSP will not generate an action potential
We need to add or combine incoming signals within a given neuron
What is the threshold of excitation?
Synapses closer to the axon hillock have a larger effect on firing due to the incremental transmission of far away PSPs
The integration of inputs must result in about -65 mV at hillock for an action potential
What is spatial summation?
Occurs at axon initial segment
Integration of PSPs across postsynaptic locations
Local EPSPs and IPSPs occurring simultaneously combine to amplify or cancel out
What is temporal summation?
Integration across time on the same synapse
Multiple rapid inputs from the same presynaptic site
What is an action potential?
Reversal of membrane potential by stimulation