Action Potential

Department of Physiology School of Medicine University of Sumatera Utara

Resting Membrane Potential

Found in almost all cells. In neurons, it is usually 70 mV.

Genesis of Membrane Potential

The distribution of ions across cell membrane.

K+ move out from cell by its concentration gradient via K+ channels.

Na+-K+ATPases pumps 2 K+ back into the cell for every 3 Na+ out of the cell. K+ channels make the membrane more permeable to K+ Na+ influx does not compensate K+ efflux intracellular relatively charged.

Ionic Basis of Resting Membrane Potential

Actively, Na+ is transported out & K+ into cells. K+ moves out & Na+ moves in, but because of K+ channels, K+ permeability at rest is > Na+ permeability, K+ channels maintain the RMP.

Ionic Basis of Resting Membrane Potential

Catelectronic currents voltageactivated Na+ channels become active. When firing level reached voltageactivated Na+ channels overwhelm the K+ & other channels spike potentials results.

Excitable Tissue
Nerve and muscle cells can be stimulated electrically, chemically, mechanically action potential.

Nerve Cells
Have a low threshold for excitation. 2 types of psychochemical disturbances:
1. Local non propagated potentials:
Synaptic. Generator. Electrotonic.

2. Propagated disturbances action potential (nerve impulses)

Potential of Membrane
Action potential; a characteristic series of potential changes if axon is stimulated and a conducted impulse occurs.
Stimulus artifact; a brief irregular deflection of the baseline due to current leakage from the stimulating electrodes to the recording electrodes. Latent period; isopotential interval from stimulus artifact until the starts of the action potential impulse takes time to travel along the axon from the site of stimulation to the recording electrodes.

Potential of Membrane
If the stimulus is at or above threshold intensity, the action potential is therefore all or none in character. Strength duration curve; the relation between the strength & the duration of a threshold stimulus. Accommodation; a process that slowly raising currents fail to fire the nerve because the nerve adapts to the applied stimulus.

Potential of Membrane
Electrotonic potentials;

Application of such currents with a cathode leads to a localized depolarizing potential change that rises sharply & decays exponentially with time. The magnitude of this response drops off rapidly as the distance between the stimulating and recording electrodes is increased.
Conversely, an anodal current produces a hyperpolarizing potential change of similar duration. These potential changes are called electrotonic potentials.

Potential of Membrane
Local responses; Effect on membrane potential due to an application of subthreshold stimuli but do not produce an action potential.
Firing level; A threshold level that makes excitable membrane is triggered to undergo an action potential.

Changes in Excitability During Electronic Potentials & the Action Potential

Refractory Period;
During the local response, the threshold is lowered, but during the rising & much of the falling phases of the spike potential, the neuron is refractory to the stimulation.

Absolute refractory period; the period from the time the firing level is reached until repolarization is about complete. not excitable. Relative refractory period; lasting from the repolarization is about complete to the start of after hyper-depolarization. excitable by stronger than normal stimulus.

Changes in Excitability During Electronic Potentials & the Action Potential

During after-depolarization, the threshold again decreased.

During after-hyperpolarization, the threshold is increased.

Electrogenesis of the Action Potential

Nerve cell membrane is polarized at rest, charges along the outside of the membrane and charges along the inside.
During the action potential, this polarity is abolished & for a brief period is actually reversed.

Saltatory Conduction
Jumping of depolarization from node to node at myelinated nerve axon.