What happens to the resting membrane potential when glutamate is applied to a silent synapse of a neuron with a resting membrane potential of -80 mV?

Question

25-11-2024
Biology

High School

We appreciate your visit to What happens to the resting membrane potential when glutamate is applied to a silent synapse of a neuron with a resting membrane potential of 80. This page offers clear insights and highlights the essential aspects of the topic. Our goal is to provide a helpful and engaging learning experience. Explore the content and find the answers you need!

What happens to the resting membrane potential when glutamate is applied to a silent synapse of a neuron with a resting membrane potential of -80 mV?

Answer :

Other Questions

Use part (a) to compute the vector [tex]\text{proj}_{\text{col}(\mathbf{a})}\mathbf{b}[/tex], i.e., the orthogonal projection

Select the measurements that are equivalent. Select all that apply. A. 15

In Act I of "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street, "

What percent of 64 is 4? A. 116% B. 1/16 percent C.

Which victim requires high-quality CPR? A. A victim who is responsive, has

Which sentence best uses the word "shell" in the sense of "a

What is the value of the 24th term in the following arithmetic

How did the philosopher's stone affect alchemy?

You invested 12, 000 in an account at 2.3% compounded monthly. How

The temperature in a town is 36.6 degrees during the day and

ArryJones ArryJones · Answer 1 · 2023-08-28T19:03:29-04:00

Final answer:

Application of glutamate to a silent synapse where the resting membrane potential is -80mV leads to sodium influx through glutamate receptors.

Explanation:

When glutamate is applied to a silent synapse with a resting membrane potential starting at -80mV, the neuron's membrane potential is likely to change. Glutamate receptors are non-selective cation channels that allow the flow of both sodium and potassium ions.

Given that the reversal potential for the glutamate receptor is approximately 0 mV, more sodium flows into the cell than potassium flows out, especially when the resting membrane potential is quite negative, such as -80mV.

This influx of sodium ions results in a depolarization of the cell membrane. When sodium ions enter the cell, the membrane potential becomes less negative (moves toward zero), which, if sufficient, may initiate an action potential.

If the membrane potential were to reach the reversal potential of the glutamate receptor, the electrochemical gradients acting on sodium and potassium would balance, resulting in no overall change in ion flow in either direction and the membrane potential would stabilize at 0 mV.

However, this is typically not the case, as continued entry of sodium leads to depolarization and potentially the firing of the neuron.