Bioelectricity 2

Electric signals, passive membrane properties

1. Electrical equivalent circuit = model of electric signalling R-C circuit

(membrane has both capacitive and resistive properties in parallel)
a) Main components
i. capacitor = lipid bilayer + extracellular & intracellular milieu
1. unit membrane C: ~1 μF/cm2
2. role:
a) reduce rate of change of MP to a current pulse/ affect the
effectiveness of active signalling processing
3. why membrane acts as capacitor
a) charge store as ions accumulating at two side of the membrane
b) membrane property: non-conducting; same thickness

c) Specific capacitance of membrane: 1 μF/cm2

ii. resistor (conductor) = ion channel = parallel current path with a
resistor of specifc R
1. symbol: e.g., K+ channel = g’k
iii. battery = Nernst potential/ equilibrium potential for an ion across the
membrane/ concentration gradient
1. e.g., Ek, in series with g’k
2. all open of same type of channel can lump into a single R+E unit,
e.g., gK = N* g’k
iv. battery in series with resistor e.g., gK +Ek = a population of same type
ion channel

b) role of the model (for how current flow generate signal)

i. intuitive understanding
ii. quantitative description

2. electrical constants (passive property)

a) role:
i. affect/determine spread and time course of non-activated, local-induced
V, generated by synaptic current/ rate of change of V
ii. change in amplitude
iii. if V trigger suprathreshold depolarisation, at the synapse >> generate
AP
b) input resistance Rin
i. role: determine the magnitude of V when I is injected
ii.

Factor: cell size + density of ion channels on membrane

c) membrane time constant
i. R * C = time constant ( 𝛕) = how quickly C (plasma membrane
charge/ uncharged in response to a current flow
ii. Qualitative definition: time for Vm to build up to 63% of its final value
iii. Role: change time course/ duration of synaptic signals (falling phase of
synaptic signal) > influence integrative properties
1. Consequence: temporal summation
iv. 𝛕 higher, electrical signal spread out more (?)
v. Measure experimentally
d) ✅ (resting) Membrane resistance (rm, Ω/cm)
i. rm depends on
1. membrane area (diameter)
2. channel density (Rm)
ii. Specific membrane resistance Rm :
1. Role: compare membrane properties of neurons with different sizes/
tell about the insulation property of the membrane
2. Resistance of 1 cm2 ( unit area) of membrane

3.Only Factors to Rm: resting permeability/ channel density of

membrane to K and Cl
e) ✅Membrane Capacitance(Cm, F/cm)
i. Role: determine the time course of (rising) of V
ii.

Factor: membrane area

 1. Insulator type and distance between 2 plates do not need to be
considered
iii. Why the V curve is like this
1. Membrane has both R and C characteristics;
a) Iinput = ionic membrane I + capacitive membrane I
b) R, C parallel >> VR = VC = Vm
2. Since, V = IR, initially V = 0, I flow into capacitor >> Vm rise
a) Change in Vc depends on: T for Iinput, since T is required for the
accumulation/ remove of charge
3. For Vm vs T
a) Initial slope: reflect purely C element
b) Final slope: reflect R
4. As Vm rise > V drive I flow into R
a) Less I flow to C
5. Finally, all I flow to R
a) IC = 0, Vm = Im * R
b) Vm no longer change
f) ✅(intracellular) Axial resistance (ra, Ω/cm)
i. Equivalent circuit
1. Unit length of a process is a circuit ( rm + Cm), connected by ra
2. ra Represent: cylindrical segment of cytoplasm (inner core)

3. extracellular fluid = short circuit

4. Mechanism: ion collide with each other in the cytoplasm, greater L,
smaller diameter >> larger collision
5. Tells about conducting property/ how freely ion move in the
intracellular fluid
6. rx = distance (x) * ra
ii. factor for ra
1. diameter ( >> cross-sectional area >> volume >> no. of ion )
2. Ra
iii. Specific axial resistance Ra ：R for 1cm segment of individual neuronal
process with cross-sectional area of 1cm2
g) membrane length constant (𝛌)
i. Represent: distance for the V change (caused by injected current to
reduce to about 37% (1/e) of its original value; (decrease the V change
exponentially)
ii. Role: affect the effectiveness of electrotonic conduction (passive spread
of V change along the neuronal process) >>
 1. Spatial summation
a) Decision-making component of neuron: signal from different
region integrate
b) The larger 𝛌, the more distant a synapse can be (without significant
loss of amplitude) and still be effective in eliciting a postsynaptic
response ( the sum exceed the threshold)
c) Specific to potential types:
i. Electrotonic: EPSP, IPSP
ii. Graded potential
2. Propagation of AP
a) Longer length constant >> local-circuit I greater spread > AP
propagate more rapidly
iii. Calculation: The two resistive components in series

1. Greater 𝛌 << better insulation (rm) + better conduction (1/ra)

iv. How 𝛌 is affected
1. Internal diameter
2. Permeability of membrane
3. Experimental recording
a) Extracellular current stimuli
i. By electrode place over the process
b) Factors for current threshold
i. Diameter

4. Adaption to increase conduction velocity

a) Previous constrain:
i. thin membrane > high C
ii. ion channels > leaky and degrade signal
iii. small d: poor conductor
b) Large diemeter process
i. Squit gaint axon
c) Myelination
i. Increase insulation > higher rm > higher 𝛌
ii. Saltatory conduction : faster