Generation of resting membrane potential
1Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA. shwright@u.arizona.edu
Abstract:
This brief review is intended to serve as a refresher on the ideas associated with teaching students the physiological basis of the resting membrane potential. The presentation is targeted toward first-year medical students, first-year graduate students, or senior undergraduates. The emphasis is on general concepts associated with generation of the electrical potential difference that exists across the plasma membrane of every animal cell. The intention is to provide students a general view of the quantitative relationship that exists between 1) transmembrane gradients for K(+) and Na(+) and 2) the relative channel-mediated permeability of the membrane to these ions.
Related Concept Videos
Resting Potential Decay
At rest, the K+ is the main ion that moves across the membrane through...
Resting Potential Decay
At rest, the K+ is the main ion that moves across the membrane through...
The Resting Membrane Potential
Resting Membrane Potential
The Inside of a Neuron is More Negative
The membrane potential of a cell can be measured by inserting a microelectrode into a cell and comparing the charge to a reference electrode in the extracellular fluid. The...
Resting Membrane Potential
The Inside of a Neuron is More Negative
The membrane potential of a cell can be measured by inserting a microelectrode into a cell and comparing the charge to a reference electrode in the extracellular fluid. The...
Generation of Action Potential in Skeletal Muscles
Like neurons, muscle cells are also regarded as excitable due to their capacity to change in response to stimuli, primarily due to voltage-gated ion channels embedded in their plasma membranes, which get activated by alterations in the cell's...


