Neurobiology Activity 2.2.2: Student Responses

Activity 2.2.2: Student Response Sheet 1. What do we call electrical messages that are sent down the axon of a neuron? These electrical messages are called action potentials. 2. In one sentence, describe how the electricity in an action potential is generated. Electricity is created by a sudden reversal in charge of the inside and outside of a cell membrane in a neuron. 3. Draw a diagram of the cell membrane of the axon. Label the following on your drawing: cell interior, cell exterior, Na+ channels, K+ channels, Na+/K+ pump. 4. The main component of cell membranes are fats called phospholipids. Use the Internet to research the structure of a phospholipid. Label a phospholipid on your diagram. 5. What do these terms hydrophilic and hydrophobic mean and how do they relate to the structure of a cell membrane? Human Body Systems Activity 2.2.2 Student Response Sheet - Page 1 Hydrophilic means that something is attracted to or compatible with water. Hydrophobic means that something does not like water/ cannot be mixed with water whatsoever. These relate to the membrane by determining what comes in and out of a cell. 6. Return to your cell membrane diagram. Use a blue marker or colored pencil to color the parts of a phospholipid that are hydrophilic. Use a red marker or colored pencil to color in the parts of the molecules that are hydrophobic. 7. Add Na+ and K+ ions to your cell membrane drawing to show the placement of ions when the cell is at rest. Think about which side will have more K+ and which side will have more Na+. 8. How does the location of these ions relate to the overall membrane potential (charge) at this point? Place (-) signs on the side that is now negative and (+) signs on the side that is now positive. The more positive ions there are, the more positive the side will be, and vice versa. 9. The Na+/K+ pump pumps 3 Na+ ions out of the cell for every 2 K+ ions it brings into the cell. Is this specialized protein working via active or passive transport? Explain your reasoning. It is active transport because energy is needed to activate the Na+/K+ pump and bring the ions across the cell membrane. 10. What causes the inside of the membrane to reverse charge and begin the action potential? When neurotransmitters send signals that close potassium channels causing sodium to rush in instead. 11. Draw a graph of the action potential broken down into four steps as in the Internet activity. Make sure to label the axes and add units. Highlight or shade each step in a different color. Human Body Systems Activity 2.2.2 Student Response Sheet - Page 2 12. Beneath the graph, use the color marker or pen that corresponds to the step to describe in words what happens in the membrane during this step. Make sure to relate what is happening in the membrane to the value for membrane potential shown on the graph. Add a title to each step. 13. Which membrane protein is responsible for restoring the original concentration of Na+ and K+? The Na+/K+ pump is responsible for restoring the original concentration. 14. What happens when the action potential reaches the end of the axon at the axon terminals? How does one neuron communicate with another neuron and complete the circuit? When the action potential reaches the axon terminals neurotransmitters are released and move across the synapse until they reach receptors on the dendrites where it breaks down and activates the next neuron. Neurons communicate with one another through the use of chemical neurotransmitters. Human Body Systems Activity 2.2.2 Student Response Sheet - Page 3