5 Questions
What is the basis of excitability in living cells?
Selective permeability of the cell membrane
What creates an electrical potential difference between the inside and outside of the cell?
Selective permeability of the cell membrane
Which cells exhibit excitability?
Nerves and muscles
What is the preferred stimulus for stimulating nerves?
Electrical stimulus
What are the events that excite an organism termed?
Stimuli
Study Notes
- The cell membrane's selective permeability creates a difference in ionic composition between intracellular and extracellular fluids, leading to a trans-membrane potential or membrane potential.
- Membrane potential exists across the membranes of all body cells, varying moment to moment based on cell activities and responsible for the property of excitability.
- Excitability is the ability of tissues to respond to changes in environments, with nerves and muscles being the most excitable.
- Nerves can be stimulated by various stimuli, including electrical, mechanical, chemical, and thermal; electrical stimuli are preferred due to similarity to internal stimuli, controllability, measurability, and lack of tissue damage.
- The nervous system, primarily composed of neurons and glial cells, is responsible for transmitting information throughout the body, enabling coordinated responses to stimuli.
Test your knowledge on the principles of membrane potential and excitability in the nervous system. Explore the selective permeability of cell membranes and the ionic composition of intracellular and extracellular fluids.
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