Resting Membrane Potential and Action Potential

Resting membrane potential and action potential are both the basis of electrical activity in the cell.
It is important to learn these two topics well to get a grasp of cell, nerve and muscle physiology

 Within the body the intracellular compartment is separated from the extracellular
compartment by means of the cell membrane.
 Normally, at rest there is a potential difference (measured by electrical charge) across the
membrane; usually the inside of the cell is negative relative to the outside. This difference in
ionic charges is the resting membrane potential (RMP).
 In excitable tissues such as nerve and muscle, at rest, the membrane potential varies
between -60 to -90 mV.
 When these tissues are excited, there is generation of an action potential due to movement
of ions across the membrane and disturbance in the RMP.
 Generation of action potential is necessary to transmit impulses across nerve cells and for
initiation of contraction in muscle cells

Creation and maintenance of the RMP - Important facts

 As mentioned earlier, the intracellular fluid (ICF) is more negative relative to the extracellular
fluid (ECF) and this difference creates the RMP. If the negative and positive ions on both sides
were equally balanced, there would be no RMP.
 The ions chiefly responsible for creation of the RMP are Na+, K+ and negatively charged
intracellular proteins.
 Concentration of Na+ is more in the ECF whereas the ICF has a higher concentration of
K+; this concentration is maintained by the Na+ K+ ATPase pump which depends on energy
for its activity.
 At resting potential, the cell membrane is naturally more permeable to K+ than Na+ (25-30
times more) by passive diffusion
 The activity of Na+ K+ ATPase pump results in transport of 3 Na+ outside the cell and 2 K+
into the cell; this phenomenon contributes in part to the higher negative of the ICF
 However, the major contribution of maintaining RMP occurs when Na+ and K+ ions diffuse
passively along their concentration gradients - namely K+ moves outward and Na+ moves
inward.
 Recollect that at rest the membrane is 30 times more permeable to K+. Therefore at rest the
K+ ion is more important in maintaining the RMP

Electrical gradient and Concentration gradient And Equilibrium Potential

 At rest, the concentration of K+ is more inside the cell is higher and thus K+ ions would tend
to move outward along the concentration gradient.
 This movement will continue until the ECF being more positive (electrical gradient) now
would repel the K+ ions forcing it to move inwards and slowing down the outward
movement of K+ ions.
 At one point the concentration gradient of K+ will be neutralized by the electrical gradient
and movement of K+ ion will cease. This is referred to as equilibrium potential for K+.
 The equilibrium potential of K+ is -90 mV with the ICF being more negative than the ECF.
 The same logic can be applied for Na+ also to derive its equilibrium potential. The
equilibrium potential of Na+ is +60 mV with the ICF being more positive relative to the ECF.
 However, both Na+ and K+ exist together in the body fluids and in reality there is no
equilibrium potential. It is a hypothetical value
  The RMP is closer to the equilibrium potential of K+ due to greater permeability of the
membrane to K+ ions. It is normally about -70 mV.

Action Potential Generation

 When nerve or muscle is stimulated, an action potential is generated. During this
phenomenon, there is a very brief rapid reversal in the membrane permeability being more
permeable to Na+ ions.
 Thus the interior of the cell membrane becomes more positive relative to the outside.
 Action potential is associated with marked changes in the membrane permeability to Na+
and K+ ions.
 Initially there is some movement of Na+ into the cell making the membrane depolarized just
sufficiently to reach the threshold potential (-55 mV).
 At the threshold potential, voltage gated Na+ channels open and the membrane becomes
more depolarized and there is a rapid surge of Na+ ions inward with the membrane potential
approaching the equilibrium potential of Na+ namely -65 mV causing the spike of the action
potential.
 As the membrane potential approaches -65 mV, the voltage gated Na+ channels become
inactivated and the voltage gated K+ channels are activated
 Opening of K+ channels increases the permeability of K+ with repolarization of the
membrane. Thus the spike of the action potential is transient and followed by repolarization.
 Delayed closure of the K+ channels will result in a brief state of hyperpolarization where the
membrane potential becomes even more negative

Lakshmi Venkataraman
drexampill@gmail.com
exampill.blogspot.com