THE NERVE

IMPULSE

2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 Cells and membrane
potentials
All animal cells generate a small voltage across
their membranes
There are a large amount of small organic
molecules in the cytoplasm (e.g. amino acids)
To balance this, animal cells pump Na+ out of the
cells
This regulates osmosis but it leaves a large
number of organic molecules
These organic molecules are overall negatively
charged (anions) in the cytoplasm
Thus the cell has a potential difference (voltage)
across its membrane.
2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
 Experiments on the neuron of
a giant squid
Concentration /mmol kg-1 water

Ion Axoplasm Blood Sea water

(the cytoplasm plasma
in an axon)
K+ 400 20 10
Na+ 50 440 460

Cl- 120 560 540

Organic
anions 360 - -
(-ve ions)
2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
 The neuron

www.biologymad.com/.../nervoussystemintro.htm

2016 Paul Billiet ODWS www.lab.anhb.uwa.edu.au/.../Nervous/Nervous.htm

 The neuron

Nodes of Ranvier
Dendrites
Schwann cell Nucleus of Schwann cell

Myelin sheath Axon Terminal dendrites

Cell body

2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 Neurons

Neurons, like other cells, are more negatively

charged inside than outside
This results in a membrane potential of about
70 milliVolts
This is called the resting potential of the
neuron.

2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 Potassium & Sodium Ions

The two important ions: K+ and Na+

Both are positively charged ions
Na+ ions move more slowly across the
membrane than K+ or Cl- ions
The Na+ ion is smaller than the K+ ion
(Na+ has a larger coating of water molecules
giving it a bigger diameter)
This makes the plasma membrane 25 times
more permeable to K+ than Na+.

2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 Potassium & Sodium Ions
K+ ions leak out a little from K+ ion pores
cell is negative inside pulling K+ in
but there is a very high concentration of K+
inside pulling K+ out
K+ has to be actively pumped inwards a bit
The resting potential of the neuron is almost at
the equilibrium for K+ ions
K+ leak out a bit and need pumping in
Na+ ions, however, are actively pumped out
and kept out.
2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
 A coupled Na+-K+ pump
plasma
Cytoplasm
membrane ECF

K+ K+
coupled
ion
pump
Na+ Na+

2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 Getting excited!
The neurons membrane at rest is more negative
inside than outside
The neuron is said to be polarised
Neurons are excitable cells
Neurons are excited when their membranes
become depolarised.

2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 Depolarisation

Depolarising membranes may be achieved by:

a stimulus arriving at a receptor cell
(e.g. vibration of a hair cell in the ear)
a chemical fitting into a receptor site
(e.g. a neurotransmitter)
a nerve impulse travelling down a neuron.

2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 Nerve impulses

Nerve impulses are self-propagating like a

trail of gunpowder
Localised currents in the ions occur just
ahead of the impulse causing localised
depolarisation
Nerve impulses are not like electrical signals
travelling down a wire.

2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 The action potential
The action potential is the state of the neuron
membrane when a nerve impulse passes by.

2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 The action potential
Localised currents cause Na+ channels to flip
open
Voltage-gated Na+ channels
As Na+ moves into the cell, more and more
Na+ channels open
A small change in the membrane permeability
to Na+ results in a big change in membrane
potential
The volume of the axon is minute compared to
the volume of the extracellular fluid.

2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 +35

0
More Na+
channels open
mV Na+ floods
into neuron

Na+ voltage-
gated
channels open
-55 Threshold

-70

Time

Resting potential Action potential

2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
 All-or-nothing
Na+s move in, the cell it will become more
positive
Ion pumps resist the change in the membrane
potential
If it rises by 15mV and the pumps cannot
restore the equilibrium
Na+ floods in and neuron is depolarised
Nerve impulses all look the same, there are
not big ones and little ones
This is the all-or-nothing law.
2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
 The threshold
55mV represents the threshold potential
Beyond this we get a full action potential
The membrane potential rises to +35mV this is
the peak of the action potential
The cells are almost at the equilibrium for Na+
ions.

2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 +35 Na+ channels close
and K+ channels
open, K+ floods out
of neuron
0

mV

-55 Threshold

-70

Time

Resting potential Action potential Resting potential

2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
 Potassium takes over
Na+ moves in passively until it reaches
equilibrium
At the same time K+ permeability increases as
voltage-gated K+ channels open
K+ channels are a bit slower to respond to the
depolarisation than the Na+ channels
K+ ions move out
The cell becomes negative inside with respect to
outside again
The membrane potential falls
The cell become repolarised.
2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
Potassium ion channel
OPEN CLOSED
 Hyperpolarisation
The membrane potential falls below the resting
potential of 70mV
It is said to be hyperpolarised
The axon is negative inside but the ion
concentration is not the same
Gradually active pumping of the ions (K+ in
and Na+ out) restores the resting potential
During this period no impulses can pass along
that part of the membrane
This is called the refractory period.
2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
 +35

Hyperpolarisation
0 of the membrane

mV Active pumping
of Na+ out and K+
in during the
refractory period
-55 Threshold

-70

Time

Resting potential Action potential Resting potential

2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
 The neuron

Nodes of Ranvier
Dendrites
Schwann cell Nucleus of Schwann cell

Myelin sheath Axon Terminal dendrites

Cell body

2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 Myelinated neurones
Non-myelinated Myelinated
neuron neuron

In myelinated neurons the cell membrane of

the Schwann cell wraps around the axon many
times (myelin sheet).
2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
 Saltation

No depolarisation occurs under the myelin

Depolarisation only happens at the nodes
(0.5m)
All the Na+ channels are concentrated at the
nodes.
2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
 Saltation

An impulse is triggered by local currents that

depolarise the next bit of the membrane
In myelinated nerves the triggering jumps from
one node to the next
Much quicker than depolarising all the membrane
along the whole axon.

2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 Grey matter and White matter
White matter = myelinated for long distance transmission
Grey matter = non-myelinated for short distance
transmission

2016 Paul Billiet ODWS