* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download What is the neuron`s resting potential?
Mechanosensitive channels wikipedia , lookup
SNARE (protein) wikipedia , lookup
Signal transduction wikipedia , lookup
List of types of proteins wikipedia , lookup
Node of Ranvier wikipedia , lookup
Endomembrane system wikipedia , lookup
Cell membrane wikipedia , lookup
Action potential wikipedia , lookup
Psychology 304: Brain and Behaviour Lecture 12 1 The Generation and Conduction of Electrochemical Neural Signals 1. What is the neuron’s resting potential? 2. What causes a neuron to produce an action potential? 3. What is the ionic basis of an action potential? 2 By the end of today’s class, you should be able to: 1. explain how the resting potential of a neuron is maintained. 2. distinguish between EPSPs, IPSPs and action potentials. 3. describe the electrochemical changes that trigger an action potential. 4. describe the electrochemical changes that occur during an action potential. 3 What is the neuron’s resting potential? • A neuron’s membrane potential refers to the difference in electrical charge between the inside and the outside of the cell. • The membrane potential of a resting neuron is about -70 mV (-50 to -80 mV). Thus, the resting neuron is polarized. 4 • Resting neurons are polarized due to the distribution of ions around the neuron’s membrane. • Sodium ions (Na+), potassium ions (K+), chloride ions (Cl-) and negatively charged protein ions are distributed unevenly across the neuron’s membrane. • The ratio of negative to positive charges is greater inside the resting neuron than outside. 5 The Resting Neuron 6 • Two processes are responsible for the unequal distribution of ions across the membrane of resting neurons: 1. The differential permeability of the membrane to the ions. The membrane is most permeable to K+ and Cl-, and last permeable to negatively charged protein ions. 2. The action of sodium-potassium pumps that continually exchange three Na+ ions inside the neuron for two K+ ions outside of the neuron. 7 A Sodium-Potassium Pump in a Neuron Membrane 8 What causes a neuron to produce an action potential? • A neuron produces an action potential or “fires” when it generates and conducts an electrochemical signal. • A given neuron receives electrochemical signals from thousands of adjacent neurons. The terminal buttons of adjacent neurons “synapse” onto the dendrites or cell body of the target neuron. 9 Electron Micrograph of Synaptic Contact 10 • The terminal buttons release chemicals or neurotransmitters that bind to receptors on the dendrites or cell body of the target neuron. • The neurotransmitters can excite or inhibit the target neuron. 11 • Neurotransmitters that excite the target neuron depolarize its membrane, producing excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs). EPSPs increase the likelihood that the target neuron will fire. • Neurotransmitters that inhibit the target neuron hyperpolarize its membrane, producing inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs). IPSPs reduce the likelihood that the target neuron will fire. 12 • The EPSPs and IPSPs are conducted passively (i.e., instantly and decrementally) to an area adjacent to the axon hillock. In this area, the EPSPs and IPSPs are integrated. • If the integrated sum of the EPSPs and IPSPs is sufficient to depolarize the membrane to a level referred to as the threshold of activation (-40 to -65mV), an action potential is generated and the neuron will fire. 13 Neural Integration 14 • An action potential is a momentary reversal of the membrane potential from a highly negative value (e.g., -70mV) to a highly positive value (e.g., +50 mV). • An action potential is an all-or-none response. 15 What is the ionic basis of an action potential? • When the membrane potential of a neuron reaches the threshold of excitation, voltage-activated ion channels open. • Initially, voltage-activated sodium ion channels open, allowing Na+ ions to rush in. The membrane potential shifts to a value between +40 and +50 mV. • Then, voltage-activated potassium channels open, allowing K+ to rush out. 16 • Thereafter, the sodium channels close, marking the end of the rising phase and the beginning of the repolarization phase of the action potential. • During repolarization, the efflux of K+ continues, causing the membrane potential to return to a negative state. • An excessive number of K+ flow out of the neuron, leaving it hyperpolarized for a brief period. 17 The Generation and Conduction of Electrochemical Neural Signals 1. What is the neuron’s resting potential? 2. What causes a neuron to produce an action potential? 3. What is the ionic basis of an action potential? 18