11/25/2020 PhysioEx Exercise 3 Activity 1

PhysioEx Lab Report

Exercise 3: Neurophysiology of Nerve Impulses
Activity 1: The Resting Membrane Potential
Name: Aurelia Raihani Jannah
Date: 25 November 2020
Session ID: session-df5dca35-0ff5-9693-f676-2b5909de099f

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: 150 mM.

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

concentration)?

You correctly answered: 5 mM.

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

concentration)?

You correctly answered: 5 mM.

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

concentration)?

You correctly answered: 150 mM.

Experiment Results
Predict Question
1 Predict Question: Predict what will happen to the resting membrane potential if the
extracellular K+ concentration is increased.

Your answer: The resting membrane potential will become less negative.

Stop & Think Questions

1 What is the polarity of the resting membrane potential (voltage)?

You correctly answered: negative.

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

3 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: out of the cell .

4 What effect does increasing extracellular K+ have on the net diffusion of K+ out of the
cell?

You correctly answered: It decreases the net diffusion of K+.

5 Which way would Na+ move across the membrane if there were open Na+ channels?

You correctly answered: Na+ would diffuse into the cell.

6 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: 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 67% by answering 2 out of 3 questions correctly.

1 A negative membrane potential was recorded when the tip of the microelectrode
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Your answer: just inside the cell body.

Correct answer: 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: an increase in extracellular K+.

3 Which of the following has the most negative voltage?

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

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:

There is usually more K⁺ inside the cell relative to the extracellular. Increasing
extracellular K⁺ reduces the concentration gradient, thus reducing net diffusion of K⁺.

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:

Resting membrane potential is negative because the negative charge inside the cell is
greater than the positive charge outside the cell. Increasing extracellular K+
increases the positive charge outside the cell. This decreases the difference between
the inside and outside of the cell.

3 Explain why a change in extracellular Na+ did not significantly alter the membrane
potential in the resting neuron?

Your answer:

A change in extracellular Na+ results in little change to resting membrane potential

because the plasma membrane of a neuron is only slightly permeable to Na+
because it contains relatively few Na+ leakage channels. This inhibits net diffusion of
Na+ into or out of the cell.

4 Discuss the relative permeability of the membrane to Na+ and K+ in a resting neuron.

Your answer:

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Membrane permeability of a resting neuron to K+ is four to five times greater than

for Na+.

5 Discuss how a change in Na+ or K+ conductance would affect the resting membrane
potential.

Your answer:

The membrane has a low permeability to Na ions because there are very fee ma leak
channels, and Na channels are closed a change in k+ conductance would have a
greater effect on testing membrane potential than a change in Na+ conductance
because the membrane Na more permeable to k+.

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