GE CLST 73A Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Resting Potential, Electrochemical Gradient, Action Potential
18 Oct 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
How neurons function and communicate with each other. Afferent neurons pass onto interneurons to integrate info & send to efferent neurons that stimulates response (step on tack, signal is integrated, efferent neurons = remove foot) Ions: current flow = charge/time, create voltage by passing through membrane. Charge difference=passing without allowing counterpart to also pass. Must have charge separation to have voltage (form of potential energy) Voltage = 0 if reference electrode is in the bath & recording electrode is on the outside of the axon bc the bath is 0. (0-0=0) Equilibrium potential: voltage needed to counterbalance the tendency of an ion to move down its electrochemical gradient: need to know gradient (out to in or in to out) understand concept of concentration gradient. Ex. ) sodium is high out to in (chemical gradient) Hodgkin huxley channels = gated channels gated by voltage. If cell is depolarized for prolonged periods of time, ap fails/cell dies.
