Name: Muhammad Febriano Sugiarso

Exercise 3: Neurophysiology of Nerve Impulses: Activity 1: The Resting Membrane Potential Lab Report

Pre-lab Quiz Results

You scored 100% by answering 4 out of 4 questions correctly.

1. What is the approximate concentration of K+ inside a typical cell (intracellular concentration)?

You correctly answered: a. 150 mM

2. What is the approximate concentration of K+ outside a cell (extracellular concentration)?

You correctly answered: b. 5 mM

3. What is the approximate concentration of Na+ inside a cell (intracellular concentration)?

You correctly answered: b. 5 mM

4. What is the approximate concentration of Na+ outside a cell (extracellular concentration)?

You correctly answered: a. 150 mM

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Experiment Results
Predict Question:
Predict Question: Predict what will happen to the resting membrane potential if the extracellular K+ concentration is
increased.
Your answer : b. The resting membrane potential will become less negative.

Stop & Think Questions:

What is the polarity of the resting membrane potential (voltage)?
You correctly answered: b. negative

What does it mean that the voltage just inside the membrane is negative?
You correctly answered: b. There are more negative charges than positive charges just inside the membrane.

The membrane of most cells, including neurons, contains passive, open,

K+ leak channels. Given the normal K+ concentrations and the resultant concentration gradient, which direction would K+
be expected to move (diffuse) through these leak channels?
You correctly answered: b. out of the cell

What effect does increasing extracellular K+ have on the net diffusion of K+ out of the cell?
You correctly answered: b. It decreases the net diffusion of K+ .

Which way would Na+ move across the membrane if there were open Na+ channels?
You correctly answered: a. Na+ would diffuse into the cell.

The membrane has open K+ channels, and changing extracellular K+ concentration results in a change in membrane
potential. Changing the extracellular Na+ concentration does not significantly change the membrane potential. What do
your results suggest about the number or state (open or closed) of Na+ channels in the resting membrane of a neuron?
You correctly answered: b. Na+ channels are mostly closed.

Experiment Data:

Extracellular Fluid (ECF) Microelectrode Position Voltage (mV)

Control Cell body extracellular 0
Control Cell body intracellular -70
Control Axon extracellular 0
Control Axon intracellular -70
High K+ Axon intracellular -40
High K+ Axon extracellular 0
High K+ Cell body extracellular 0
High K+ Cell body intracellular -40
Low Na+ Cell body intracellular -72
Low Na+ Cell body extracellular 0
Low Na+ Axon extracellular 0
Low Na+ Axon intracellular -72

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Post-lab Quiz Results
You scored 100% by answering 3 out of 3 questions correctly.

1. A negative membrane potential was recorded when the tip of the microelectrode was
You correctly answered: d. both inside the cell body and inside the axon.

2. Which of the following caused a change in membrane potential from -70 to -40 in the cell body?
You correctly answered: a. an increase in extracellular K+

3. Which of the following has the most negative voltage?

You correctly answered: c. between the inside of the axon and the outside of the axon with control K+ ECF

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Review Sheet Results
1. Explain why increasing extracellular K+ reduces the net diffusion of K+ out of the neuron through the K+ leak
channels.
Your answer:
Usually K+ is more in inside cell than outside cell. So, increasing K+ (outside cell) can reduce the concentration gradient
and net difussion of K+. K+ will diffuse out of the neuron.

2. Explain why increasing extracellular K+ causes the membrane potential to change to a less negative value. How well
did the results compare with your prediction?
Your answer:
Increasing extracellular K+ causes the membrane potential to change to a less negative value. It because Increasing
extracellular K+ can change the diffusion and it will become negative (less K+ diffused out). It is same as my prediction.

3. Explain why a change in extracellular Na+ did not significantly alter the membrane potential in the resting neuron?
Your answer:
Because Na+ channels is less than K+ channel. So, Na+ didn't significantly change the membrane potential in the resting
neuron.

4. Discuss the relative permeability of the membrane to Na+ and K+ in a resting neuron.
Your answer:
There is an increased leakage channel. It cause the resting neuron is 4-5 times more permeable than K+.

5. Discuss how a change in Na+ or K+ conductance would affect the resting membrane potential.
Your answer:
A change in Na+ conductance is lesser effect than K+ because K+ is more permeable to membrane than Na+. So, K+
moves down the gradient more tham Na+.

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