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Copyright © 2006 by Elsevier, Inc.

Membrane Potentials and Action Potentials

Slides by Dr. Abbas S. Dakhil, PhD


Membrane Potentials and ActionPotentials

Membrane Potentials Caused by Diffusion



Membrane Potentials Caused by Diffusion

Diffusion potential : the potential difference between the inside andoutside.In the normal mammalian nerve fiber, the potential difference requiredis about 94 millivolts, with negativity inside the fiber membrane.

Because of the large potassium concentration gradient from insidetoward outside, there is a strong tendency for extra numbers of potassiumions to diffuse outward through the membrane and carry positiveelectrical charges to the outside, thus creating electropositivity outside themembrane and electronegativity inside.

While high concentration of sodium ions outside the membrane and lowsodium inside. These ions are also positively charged



Membrane Potentials Caused by DiffusionDiffusion of the positively charged sodium ions to the inside creates amembrane potential of opposite polarity to potassium.The potential is about 61 millivolts positive inside the fiber.

Resting Membrane Potential of Nerves

The resting membrane potential of large nerve fibers when not transmittingnerve signals is about –90 millivolts. That is, the potential inside the fiberis 90 millivolts more negative than the potential in the extracellular fluidon the outside of the fiber.


Membrane Potentials and ActionPotentialsTransport properties of the resting nerve membrane for sodium andpotassium.

Active Transport of Sodium and Potassium Ions Through theMembrane—The Sodium-Potassium (Na+-K+) Pump.

All cell membranes of the body have a powerful Na+-K+ that continuallypumps sodium ions to the outside of the cell and potassium ions to theInside more positive charges are pumped to the outside than to the inside(three Na+ ions to the outside for each two K+ ions to the inside), leaving anet deficit of positive ions on the inside; this causes a negative potentialinside the cell membrane.



The Na+-K+ also causes large concentration gradients for sodium andpotassium across the resting nerve membrane. These gradients are thefollowing:Na+ (outside): 142 mEq/LNa+ (inside): 14 mEq/LK+ (outside): 4 mEq/LK+ (inside): 140 mEq/LThe ratios of these two respective ions from the inside to the outsideareNa+inside/Na+outside = 0.1K+inside/K+outside = 35.0


Membrane Potentials and ActionPotentialsLeakage of Potassium and Sodium Through the Nerve Membrane.

A channel protein in the nerve membrane through which potassiumand sodium ions can leak, called a potassium sodium (K+-Na+)“leak” channel. The emphasis is on potassium leakage because, onaverage, the channels are far more permeable to potassium than tosodium, normally about 100 times as permeable.


Membrane Potentials and ActionPotentialsOrigin of the Normal RestingMembrane Potential


Membrane Potentials and ActionPotentialsNerve Action PotentialNerve signals are transmitted by action potentials, which are rapidchanges in the membrane potential that spread rapidly along the nervefiber membrane. Each action potential begins with a sudden changefrom the normal resting negative membrane potential to a positivepotential and then ends with an almost equally rapid change back tothe negative potential. To conduct a nerve signal, the action potentialmoves along the nerve fiber until it comes to the fiber’s end.

Resting Stage. This is the resting membrane potential before theaction potential begins. The membrane is said to be “polarized”during this stage because of the –90 millivolts negative membranepotential that is present.



Depolarization Stage. At this time, the membrane suddenly becomesvery permeable to sodium ions, allowing tremendous numbers ofpositively charged sodium ions to diffuse to the interior of the axon.The normal “polarized” state of –90 millivolts is immediatelyneutralized by the inflowing positively charged sodium ions, with thepotential rising rapidly in the positive direction. This is calleddepolarization. In large nerve fibers, the great excess of positive sodiumions moving to the inside causes the membrane potential to actually“overshoot” beyond the zero level and to become somewhat positive.


Membrane Potentials and ActionPotentialsRepolarization Stage. Within a few 10,000ths of a second after themembrane becomes highly permeable to sodium ions, the sodiumchannels begin to close and the potassium channels open more thannormal. Then, rapid diffusion of potassium ions to the exteriorre-establishes the normal negative resting membrane potential. This iscalled repolarization of the membrane. To explain more fully thefactors that cause both depolarization and repolarization, we need todescribe the special characteristics of two other types of transportchannels through the nerve membrane: the voltage-gated sodium andpotassium channels.




Membrane Potentials and ActionPotentialsVoltage-Gated Sodium and Potassium Channels

The necessary actor in causing both depolarization and repolarization ofthe nerve membrane during the action potential is the voltage-gatedsodium channel. A voltage-gated potassium channel also plays animportant role in increasing the rapidity of repolarization ofthe membrane. These two voltage-gated channels are in addition to theNa+-K+ pump and the K+leak channels.

Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel—Activation and Inactivation of theChannelThis channel has two gates—one near the outside of the channelcalled the activation gate, and another near the inside called theinactivation gate.





Propagation of action potentials in both directions along aconductive fiber.


Membrane Potentials and ActionPotentialsAll-or-Nothing Principle.Once an action potential has been elicited at any point on the membraneof a normal fiber, the depolarization process travels over the entiremembrane if conditions are right, or it does not travel at all if conditionsare not right. This is called the all-or-nothing principle, and it applies toall normal excitable tissues. Occasionally, the action potential reaches apoint on the membrane at which it does not generate sufficient voltageto stimulate the next area of the membrane. When this occurs, the spreadof depolarization stops. Therefore, for continued propagation of animpulse to occur, the ratio of action potential to threshold for excitationmust at all times be greater than 1. This “greater than 1” requirement iscalled the safety factor for propagation.

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Membrane Potentials and Action Potentialsqu.edu.iq/el/pluginfile.php/17211/mod_forum/attachment/3823/Principles... · A channel protein in the nerve membrane through which potassium