Explain how a nerve impulse passes along a non-myelinated neuron.

Generation of a Resting Potential

▪       The sodium-potassium pump (Na⁺/K⁺ pump) maintains the electrochemical gradient of the resting potential (-70 mV)

▪       It is a membrane protein that uses active transport to exchange Na⁺ and K⁺ ions across the membrane

▪       It expels 3 Na⁺ ions for every 2 K⁺ ions admitted (in addition, some of the K⁺ ions will leak back out of the cell)

▪       This makes the inside of the membrane relatively negative when compared to the outside (-70 mV = resting potential)

 

 

Sodium (Na) is found in greater concentrations outside of the cell while potassium  (K) is found in greater concentrations inside the cell. Sodium-potassium pumps exist in the plasma membrane to maintain the concentration gradients and the membrane potential. 

Nerve impulses have a domino effect. An action potential in one part of the neuron causes another action potential in the adjacent part and so on. This is due to the diffusion of sodium ions between the region of the action potential and the resting potential. It is the movement of sodium and potassium that reduce the resting potential.

If the resting potential rises above the threshold level, voltage gated channels open. Voltage gated sodium channels open very fast so that sodium can diffuse into the cell down its concentration gradient. This reduces the membrane potential and results in more sodium channels opening. Sodium ions are positively charged and so the inside of the cell develops a net positive charge compared to the outside of the cell. This results in depolarization as the potential across the membrane is reversed.

A short while after this, voltage gated potassium channels open and potassium ions flow out of the cell down the concentration gradient. Since potassium ions are positively charged, their diffusion out of the cell causes a net negative charge to develop again inside the cell compared to the outside. The potential across the membrane is restored. This is called repolarization. 

Finally, the concentration gradients of both ions are restored by the sodium-potassium pump. Sodium is pumped out of the cell while potassium is pumped in. The resting potential is restored and the neuron is ready to conduct another nerve impulse.