LECTURE 5: MEMBRANE POTENTIAL Flashcards
-Functional Units of Nervous System
-receive, process and transmit information to other cells
Neurons
Components of Neurons
-Soma
-Dendrites
-Axons
metabolic maintenance
Soma
receptive surface that brings signals from other neurons toward the cell body
Dendrites
- conduct signals away from the cell
- carry information for long distances with high fidelity and without loss
Axons (nerve fibers)
Types of Neurons
-Sensory Neurons or Afferent Neuron
-Motor or efferent Neuron
-interneuron
they are nerve fibers that transmit sensory information from the body to the brain and spinal cord
Sensory Neurons or Afferent Neuron
hey are responsible for carrying signals from the brain to the body to initiate an action
Motor or efferent Neuron
neurons that connect sensory and motor neurons in the central nervous system (CNS), including the brain and spinal cord.
Interneuron
-surface membrane of motor-neuron dendrites & soma – innervated
-Soma integrates input to initiate an action potential (AP – nerve impulse)
-AP is carried from the spike-initiating zone (near axon hillock) to the axon terminal – skeletal muscle cell or gland
Transmission of Signals in a Single Neuron
Soma integrates input to initiate an _________
action potential (AP – nerve impulse)
AP is carried from the ____________ (near axon hillock) to the axon terminal – skeletal muscle cell or gland
spike-initiating zone
Electrical potential differences across the cell membrane cause by different concentrations of K+, Na+ and Cl- ions on each side of the membrane.
Membrane Potential
Membrane potential is usually between ____ and ____ mV.
-60 and -80 mV
-fundamental property of cells resulting from an excess of negative charges on side of the plasma membrane and an excess of positive charges on the other side
-source of potential energy to move molecules across membranes
-excitable cells use changes in membrane potential as communication signals
-critical for allowing the coordinated movements of cells and organisms
Membrane Potential
Nature of Nerve Signals
-every cell has a voltage or membrane potential across its plasma membranes
-a membrane potential is a localized electrical gradient across membrane
every cell has a _______________ across its plasma membranes
voltage or membrane potential
a ____________-is a localized electrical gradient across membrane
membrane potential
What is more concentrated within a cell and what is more concentrated in the extracellular fluid?
Within cell: Anions
Extracellular Fluids: Cations
Factors (potential difference)
-Concentration gradient for an ion
-Membrane that is permeable to that ion
___________ connected to a reference electrode via a voltmeter (voltage drop across the circuit) - measures membrane potential
microelectrode
an unstimulated cell usually has a resting potential of ____
-70mV
KCl
-100mM inside
-10mM outside
NaCl
– 10mM inside;
- 100mM outside