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 it’s 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 Θ 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  voltage-activated

Na+ channels become active.
• When firing level reached  voltage-
activated 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 ⅓
complete.  not excitable.
– Relative refractory period; lasting from the repolarization is
about ⅓ 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 Θ 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.