Neuron Resting Potential Explanation

Neuron Stimulation and Action Potential

• A cell receives strong stimulation, leading to depolarization and the generation of an action potential.
• Sodium ions (Na+) rush into the cell during an action potential, causing depolarization and reversing the neuron's electrical charge.
• The initial electrical charge reversal in a neuron during an action potential is triggered by the opening of voltage-gated sodium channels.

Propagation of Action Potential

• The electrical charge reversal, once initiated, travels along the axon as a wave of depolarization.
• This propagation occurs through the sequential opening of sodium channels along the axon, creating a domino effect.

Characteristics of Action Potential

• An action potential has an all-or-nothing characteristic, meaning it either occurs fully or not at all, without partial responses.

Resting Potential of Neurons

• The inside of a neuron is negatively charged at rest due to the presence of large anions and a lower concentration of sodium ions compared to the outside.
• Sodium ions cluster around the outside of a neuron's membrane during resting potential due to the higher concentration outside and the membrane's selective permeability.

Sodium Ion Entry During Resting Potential

• Sodium ions cannot enter the neuron through its membrane during resting potential because the voltage-gated sodium channels remain closed, maintaining the negative interior charge.

Role of Electrical Potential

• Electrical potential in the resting state of a neuron is crucial for maintaining the resting membrane potential and ensures the neuron can respond to subsequent stimuli.

Resting Neuron Charge Comparison

• The resting neuron has a negative charge inside compared to the outside primarily because of the unequal distribution of ions, particularly the high concentration of potassium ions (K+) inside and sodium ions outside.