FAPN 111 LECTURE PRELIM WEEK

PHYSIOLOGY OF THE NERVE CELLS

02
PROF: JOHN MATTHEW ZARATE

PHYSIOLOGY OF THE NERVE CELLS m/sec (27- 15 m/sec (34 0.5 to 2 m/sec
290 mi/hr) mi/hr) (1-4 mi/hr)
SLOW AXONAL TRANSPORT Sensory: Sensory: Sensory:
touch, impulses pain, touch,
pressure, from viscera pressure, heat
• Moves materials about 1-5mm/day position of Motor: ANS and cold from
• Conveys axoplasm in one direction joint, (constricting skin; pain
only (cell body to axon terminals) temperature, and dilating impulses
• Supplies new axoplasm to pain of pupils, from viscera
regenerating axons Motor: etc.) Motor: ANS
impulses to (constricting
• Replenishes axoplasm
skeletal and dilating
muscles of pupils,
FAST AXONAL TRANSPORT etc.)

• 200 – 400mm/day
• Uses proteins that function as motors Fiber Type Function
to move materials along the surfaces A
of microtubules α (alpha) Proprioception,
somatic motor
• Moves materials in both ways
β (beta) Touch, pressure
• Anterograde (forward) γ (gamma) Motor to muscle
• cell body to axon spindle
• Retrograde (backward) δ (delta) Pain, cold, touch
• axon to cell body B Preganglionic,
Automatic
CLASSIFICATION OF NEURONS C
ACCORDING TO DIAMETER AND Dorsal root Pain, temperature,
VELOCITY some
mechanoreceptor
reflex
A B C
Sympathetic Postganglionic,
Largest Medium- Smallest Sympathetic
sized
Myelinated Myelinated Unmyelinated

Brief Longer Longest

absolute absolute absolute
refractory refractory refractory
period period period
Conducts Conducts Conducts
action action action
potentials at potentials at potentials at
12 to 130

DIMAUN | CHUA
 FAPN 111 LECTURE
PHYSIOLOGY OF THE NERVE CELLS
PROF: JOHN MATTHEW ZARATE
SENSORY NEURONS
Number Origin Fiber
Ia • Annulospiral of
muscle spindle
Ib • Golgi Tendon
Organ
II • Muscle Spindle
• Flower-spray
ending of muscle
spindle
• Touch, pressure
III • Fibers carrying
temperature, crude
touch, and
prickling sensation
IV • Pain, temperature
MEMBRANE POTENTIALS
RESTING MEMBRANE POTENTIAL
(RMP)
• Charge difference in the cell that is
not electrically excitable
• Electrical potential difference
(voltage) across the membrane
• The greater the difference, the
greater the RMP
• -70mV (for nerves)
• Arises from:
• Unequal distribution of ions
in ECF and cytosol
• Inability of anions to leave
cell
• Electrogenic nature of NA-K
ATPase
PRELIM WEEK
02
LOCAL POTENTIAL
• Transient change of
membrane potential in a
Aα
localized area of membrane
Aα • May occur in response to
various stimuli
Aβ • May either have
hyperpolarizing or
depolarizing effect
TYPES OF POTENTIAL
Aδ
• Synaptic Potential
• Generator /Receptor Potential
• Electronic Potential
C
LOCAL POTENTIAL
• Response to information
carried by neurotransmitter or
neuromodulator released by
an adjacent cell channel by
an external stimulus.
GENERATOR POTENTIAL
• Response to an external
stimuli
• Results from the deformation
of the membrane and a
channel by an external
stimulus.
ELECTRONIC POTENTIAL
• Current from an applied
voltage
DIMAUN | CHUA
 FAPN 111 LECTURE
PHYSIOLOGY OF THE NERVE CELLS
PROF: JOHN MATTHEW ZARATE
CHARACTERISTICS OFLOCAL
POTENTIAL
• GRADED
✓ Depends on the
strength of stimulus
• SUMMATION
✓ Occurrence of 2nd
stimulus before 1st
stimulus subsides
✓ May reach threshold
and produce action
potential
✓ Temporal summation
✓ Spatial summation
• SHORT
✓ Localized distance
signal
✓ Do not spread
throughout the cell
✓ Remains localized in
region where the
stimulus was applied
ACTION POTENTIAL
• Will occur when
depolarization reaches the
threshold (-55 mV)
• Does not respond to
subthreshold stimulus
• Caused by ioninc changes
• Suprathreshold amplitude is
always the same as threshold
amplitude
• All or none principle
PRELIM WEEK
02
PHASES OF ACTION POTENTIAL
1. RESTING MEMBRANE
POTENTIAL
• K+ leak channels open
• All voltage gated Na and K
channels close
• K+ leaks out and small
amount of Na goes inside cell
• -70 mV
2. DEPOLARIZATION
• Increase Na permeability and
reversal of membrane
potential
• Voltage gated Na channels
open
• Na influx
• -50 mV to 0
• More voltage gated Na will
open until inferior of cell
becomes less negative
• Reversal of polarity due to
overshoot
• Overshoot (0 – 30 mV)
3. REPOLARIZATION
• Increase K permeability
• Voltage gated K channel
opens
• Voltage gated Na channel
closes
• K efflux
• Cell interior becomes less
positive
4. HYPERPOLARIZATION
• Slow fall after end of
repolarization
• Voltage gated K channels
remain open
DIMAUN | CHUA
 FAPN 111 LECTURE PRELIM WEEK
PHYSIOLOGY OF THE NERVE CELLS
02
PROF: JOHN MATTHEW ZARATE

• More negative than RMP accommodates itself to the

• Slow closure of the K
channels
ACTION POTENTIAL / IMPULSES
• Duration of stimulus (Strength-
Duration Curve)
ABSOLUTE REFRACTORY PERIOD
• There is no response to any stimulus
whatever the strength of the stimulus
is.
• From DEPOLARIZATION to
FIRST 1/3 OF REPOLARIZATION
passage of current.
✓ If intensity is applied very
rapidly, accommodation is
not observed.
✓ A curve that studies the
relationship between the
intensity of the stimulus and
the time of application to the
nerve to give a response.
✓ The stronger the stimulus, the
shorter the duration
✓ Rheobase – minimal strength
of galvanic current needed to
give a response.
✓ Chronaxie – time required
for double rheobase to give a
response.

RELATIVE REFRACTORY PERIOD

• There is a response to a stimulus that

is stronger.
• Lower part of repolarization

FACTORS THAT DETERMINE THE

EFFECTIVENESS OF STIMULI

• Intensity
✓ Threshold stimulus
✓ Subthreshold stimulus
✓ Suprathreshold stimulus
• Rate of rising intensity of the
stimulus
✓ If subthreshold stimulus is
applied to the nerve and
increased slowly, the nerve

DIMAUN | CHUA
 FAPN 111 LECTURE PRELIM WEEK
PHYSIOLOGY OF THE NERVE CELLS
02
PROF: JOHN MATTHEW ZARATE

FACTORS AFFECTING THE

EXCITABILITY OF THE NERVE

INCREASES DECREASES
EXCITABILITY EXCITABILITY
Higher Lower temperature
temperature
Increase Na Decrease Na
permeability by permeability by
Veratridine Tetrodotoxin
Decrease Ca Decrease K
concentration extracellularly
Alkalosis Acidosis
Mechanical pressure
Decrease blood
supply to nerve

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