Question

1. John had an experiment in neuroscience in which he was able to reverse the normal function of a neuron and change the concentration gradient for NA and K. Specifically, he was able to develop a neuron that had a higher concentration of NA inside the cell and a higher concentration of K outside the cell. In this newly developed neuronal model, discuss how this change will impact the ability of the neuron to fire, generate an action potentia repolarize and hyperpolarize. 2. Katy was a graduate student at a major university. She was able to significantly increase the level of myosin kinase within a smooth muscle cell. Discuss a plausible mechanism by which she could have created this situation in the smooth muscle cell 3. What changes occur in skeletal muscle during a muscle cramp, a Charlie horse, and serious muscle bruise? Discuss in detai

Answer 1

1. the resting potential of a neuron should be =70mV , this means that the cell is more negative in the inside . this is done by sodium potassium pump . generally the neuron membrane is more permeable to potassium . So there is potassium inside the cell and sodium outside the cell but in order to reverse this you need to alter the membrane of the neuron . During repolarization the sodium will enter the cell and even more sodium will enter the cell during hyper polarization .