Lebanese Evangelical School–Tyre
Date: / 2 / 2025
Teacher: Mahmoud Biado Subject: Biology worksheet 2
Coordinator: Fatemah Saffiedine Activities 5 + 6 page 91→
Nature and coding of the
Grade: 10
nervous message
Exercise 1 Origin of the resting potential
Ions are essential for the normal functioning of our nervous system. An unequal distribution of ions
across a cell membrane results in the creation of an electric current which is at the origin of potential
difference. The following documents show the distribution of ions across the membrane of a nerve cell
and the experimental setup used to measure the potential difference across the membrane of a nerve
fiber.
The following table shows the concentration of Cl- ion, Na+ ion, and K+ ion in the intracellular medium
and the extracellular medium of a nerve fiber of a mammal at rest.
Concentration of ion (mmole/l) Intracellular medium Extracellular medium
Cl- 10 125
K+ 150 5
+
Na 15 150
1. Draw a histogram showing the concentration of different ions in the intracellular and the extracellular
medium of the nerve fiber.
2. Compare the results shown in the table.
3. Draw out the cause of the resting potential.
Exercise 2 Response of nervous tissues to electric stimulations
We apply stimulations of increasing intensities on a nerve and a nerve
fiber shown in document 1-a. The responses R1 and R2 are registered.
The recordings are summarized in the following table (Document 1-b).
Document 1-a
Intensity of stimulation (a.u.) 0 190 200 270 400 500 580 650 720 800 850 900
Amplitude of R1 (mv) 0 0 110 180 310 410 460 600 680 780 820 820
Amplitude of R2 (mv) 0 0 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110
Document 1-b
1. Transform the above table into a graph.
2. Interpret the results obtained in the table and then give a conclusion.
3. Depending on the results obtained in part 2 and referring to your acquired knowledge, determine
which recording refers to a nerve and which one refers to a nerve fiber.
4. Specify the threshold of excitation in the experiment.
5. Explain the variation in the amplitude of response R1.
Exercise 3 Difference between the response of a nerve and a nerve fiber to stimulations
We apply stimulations of increasing intensities to a
nerve and a nerve fiber and we record the electrical
activity of each of them. The amplitudes of the
responses are represented in documents 1 and 2.
1. List the results shown in both graphs in one table.
2. Indicate the document that corresponds to the
response of a nerve and the one that corresponds to the
response of a nerve fiber. Justify the answer in each
case.
Exercise 4 Coding of Nervous Message conducted by a nerve fiber
An experiment was done in order to know the form of coding of nervous message conducted by a nerve
fiber. For this reason two connected neurons were taken from a spinal cord (document 1)
Document 1
Six stimulations of increasing intensities were applied on neuron 1; the amplitude and the frequency of
action potential, whose elaboration indicates a nervous message, were recorded on neuron 2 with the
help of an oscilloscope. The results are shown in the following tables (document 2 and 3 respectively):
Intensity of stimulation (a.u) 1 2 3 4 6 10
Amplitude of action potential (mv) 0 0 100 100 100 100
Document 2
1. Label the letters from (a) to (d) of document 1.
2. Interpret the results of document 2.
Intensity of stimulation (a.u) 1 2 3 4 6 10
Frequency of action potential (/sec) 0 0 1 10 35 65
Document 3
3. Transform the above table into a graph showing the variation of frequency of action potential as a
function of intensity of stimulation.
4. Interpret the results of document 3.
5. According to documents 2 and 3, deduce the mode of coding of the nervous message conducted in a
nerve fiber.
Exercise 5 Krause corpuscle: A skin receptor
In the skin, there are nerve fibers linked to corpuscles called Krause corpuscles that are sensitive only to
a certain temperature variation.
We isolate one of the Krause corpuscles, and we place on its nerve fibers microelectrodes connected to a
recording apparatus that allows us to see, on a screen, the responses obtained when the temperature is
changed as shown in document 1.
We apply a cold needle to the corpuscle, then we remove the cold needle, then we apply a cold needle
again. The responses recorded by the apparatus are shown in document 2.
1. Pick out from the text the name of the receptor that is sensitive to variation in temperature.
2. The nerve fiber is a part of a specialized cell. Name this cell.
3. Interpret the recordings shown in document 2.
4. Indicate the type of the receptors that Krause corpuscle belong to. Justify your answer.
5. How will the recording A vary if we increase the intensity of the stimulus by making the needle
colder? Justify why.
