Act.

1 Resting Membrane Potential

1. Why does increasing extracellular K+ reduce the net diffusion of K+ out of the
neuron through the K+ leak channels?
1. Since there are more K+ ions inside the cell, increasing the ECF K+ will lower
the concentration gradient. When the concentration gradient is lowered, it will
reduce the diffusion of K+.
2. Why does increasing extracellular K+ cause the membrane potential to change to a
less negative value?
1. If ECF K+ increases this will reduce the IC K+. This will lower the concentration
gradient. This would keep more K+ ions inside the cell. Which would cause a less
(–) charge.
3. Why does changing extracellular Na+ not alter the membrane potential in the
resting neuron?
1. There are more K+ channels, which makes this membrane less permeable to Na+
ions than it is to K+ ions.
4. Describe what relative permeability of the membrane means about Na+ and K+ in a
neuron at rest.
1. There are more K+ channels which makes it more permeable to the K+ than Na+
as well.
5. How would a change in Na+ or K+ conductance affects the resting membrane
potential?
1. Since the membrane is more permeable to K+ ions, a change in the K+
conductance would more greatly affect the membrane potential.
Act. 2 Receptor Potential
1. What passive channels are found in the following membranes:
1. olfactory receptor: passive K+ channels
2. Pacinian corpuscle: ion linked & mechanically gated
3. Free nerve ending ion linked & mechanically gated

2. Explain graded potential.

1. Made by sensory input.
2. They cause a change in the way a membrane conducts electricity of the sensory
receptor.
 3. Which of the stimulus modalities induced the largest- amplitude receptor potential
in the:
1. olfactory receptors: moderate intensity chemical.
2. Pacinian corpuscle: moderate intensity pressure.
4. What type of sensory neuron would likely respond to a green light?
1. Photoreceptors, which are sensory neurons in the eye.
1. Cone cells see colors, these are found in the retina.
Act. 3 Action Potential: Threshold
1. Define threshold in relation to action potentials.
1. A level that a membrane potential must depolarize to. Once it hits this level
(threshold) it will start the action potential.
2. If this level is never met the action potential will never start.
2. Does depolarization or hyperpolarization of the membrane potential trigger an
action potential?
1. Depolarization
3. How did the action potential at R1 (or R2) change as you increased the stimulus
voltage above threshold voltage?
1. As we learned in our lecture, an action potential is an “all-or-nothing” situation.
Even though the stimuli voltage was increased, the AP didn’t change at all. That
threshold MUST be hit to trigger the AP, then it is released. It doesn’t make it any
more or less effective.
4. An action potential is an “all-or-nothing” event.
1. It either hits the threshold and starts or it doesn’t and never starts. There is no in
between.
5. What part of a neuron was investigated in this activity?
1. Trigger zone, where the axon hillock and initial segment meet.
Act. 4 Action Potential: Importance of Voltage-Gated Na+ Channels
1. What does TTX do to:
1. Voltage-gated Na+ channels: blocks the diffusion of Na+ through the channel.
2. Lidocaine: blocks the diffusion of Na+ through the voltage-gated Ca channel.
3. How are the two results different?
1. They block the diffusion of Na+ through different types of channels.
 2. A nerve is a bundle of axons, and some nerves are less sensitive to lidocaine. If a
nerve, rather than an axon, had been used in the lidocaine experiment, the responses
recorded at R1 and R2 would be the sum of all the action potentials. Would the
response at R2 after lidocaine application necessarily be zero? Why or why not?
1. If the axons remained unaffected it would not remain at zero. This being said, the
answer would be not always.
3. Why are fewer action potentials recorded at R2 when TTX is applied between R1
and R2? It blocked the Na+ ion channels which made the action potential from R1 to R2
cease.
1. Why did this happen with lidocaine? Lidocaine blocked the channel which then
prevented the action potential from R1 to R2.
4. Pain sensitive neurons (nociceptors) conduct action potentials form the skin or the
teeth to sites in the brain involved in pain perception.
1. Where should lidocaine be administered to block pain perception in dental
work?
1. The sensory receptors closest, which reside in the gums.
2. Where during suturing?
1. Into the skin around the place that will be sutured.
Act. 5 Action Potential: Mearing It’s Absolute and Relative Refractory Periods
1. Define inactivation as it applies to voltage-gated sodium channels.
1. Inactivation happens when the voltage-gated Na+ channels no longer allow Na+
to diffuse through.
2. Define absolute refractory period.
1. The AP cannot happen, no matter how strong the stimuli.
3. Why is harder to generate a second or third action potential during the relative
refractory period?
1. This is because to generate the AP an increase in stimuli is required. This increase
is required because the K+ channels are open and this fights depolarization.

Act. 6 Action Potential: Coding for Stimulus Intensity

1. How does a long stimulus which is above threshold generate multiple action
potentials?
 1. Longer stimulus allows recovery. This will allow the AP to initiate after the RRP.
2. Why does the frequency of action potential increase when the stimulus intensity
increases?
1. AP can happen more often, only if the source of stimulation is constant and it is
after the RRP has been completed.
3. During the relative refractory period, how does threshold change?
1. During the RRP, the threshold that must be reached is much higher.
4. What is the relationship between the interspike interval and the frequency of action
potentials?
1. They work in inverse. If the frequency increases, the interspike must decrease. It
also works the other way.
Act. 7 Action Potential: Conduction Velocity
1. During your experiment, how did conduction velocity in the B fiber compare with
that in the A fiber? Due to the B fiber being smaller and less myelinated, it was slower.
1. How did the conduction velocity in the C fiber compare with that in the B
fiber?
1. The conduction velocity was decreased due to the lack of myelination and
it being smaller.
2. Discuss the effect of:
1. Axon diameter on conduction velocity:
1. The larger it is, the higher the conduction velocity.
2. The effect of the amount of myelination on conduction velocity:
1. The more myelination, the higher the conduction velocity.
3. Why did the time between stimulation and action potential at R1 differ for each
axon?
1. With each axon the size and myelination level varied. This is why the time
differed.
4. Why did the timescale need to be changed on the oscilloscope for each axon?
1. If the oscilloscope stayed on the same time scale, we would not have seen the
action potential. The slower, the longer the timescale we needed to see it.

Act. 8 Chemical Synaptic Transmission and Neurotransmitter Release

1. When the stimulus intensity increases, what changes: the number of synaptic
vesicles released or the amount of neurotransmitter per vesicle?
 1. The number of synaptic vesicles.
2. What happened to the amount of neurotransmitter release when you switched from:
1. Control of extracellular fluid to extracellular fluid with no Ca2+
1. No neurotransmitter was released because there was no Ca present.
2. Extracellular fluid with no Ca2+ to extracellular fluid with low Ca2+?
1. A low number of synaptic vessels were released due to a low amount of
Ca2.
3. How does Mg2+ block the effect of extracellular calcium on neurotransmitter
release?
1. When Mg2+ was added, it released less neurotransmitters.
Act. 9 Action Potential: Putting it All Together
1. Why is the resting membrane potential the same value in both the sensory neuron
and the interneuron?
1. It doesn’t matter what the neuron type is, the potential is the same.
2. Describe what happened when you applied:
1. a very weak stimulus to a sensory receptor: small response at R1, none at R2,
R3, R4.
2. a moderate stimulus to a sensory receptor: Larger response at R1 than before.
An AP was also generated at R2 and R4.
3. a strong stimulus to the sensory receptor: Larger depolarizing response at R1 &
R3. Then an AP at R2 & R4.
3. Identify in a list the type of membrane potential (graded receptor or action
potential) that occurred at R1, R2, R3, and R4 when a moderate stimulus is applied.

1. AP at R2 and R4.
2. Graded receptor potentials at R1 & R3