STUDY GUIDE: Lecture 16 & 17: Electrical communication - Resting potential & the action potential
General Readings:	Purves 6th edition (5th edition) [7th edition] Chap. 44 esp. pp 775-785 (905-916) [847-854]
Lecture:	Major topics: Cellular Basis of Nervous System Membrane Potentials Graded potentials vs action potentials How a membrane potential is set up; Nerst equation Resting potential; GHK equation Ion channels Conductance Selectivity Gating Action potentials (wrapped up in lect. 18)
More Detailed Readings in Texts	Both these texts give similar and detailed explanations of the action potential (& related concepts), so it's a good idea to read one of them, but don't bother reading both: Sherwood 5th edition [4th edition] (3rd edition) 99 -116 [78-107] (71-94) action potential 133- 135 [123-125] (110-112) comparison of endocrine and nervous systems Becker -- action potential 227-243 in 5th ed; 234-250 in 4th ed.
Animations:	Ion channel gates Tutorial: Overview of the factors responsible for the resting potential and action potential Action potential propagation Watch it move down the axon. (What you see on the graph is the voltage recorded at each electrode.)
Additional Outside reading:	Ion channels and disease Brain Briefings Short readings on major research findings from the past 4 years. Compiled for the general public by the Society for Neurosciences. Related Nobel prize research 1906: Golgi and Ramon y Cajal Structure of nervous system 1932: Sherrington and Adrian Neuron function 1963: Eccles, Hodgkin and Huxley Resting potential and action potential 1986: Levi-Montalcini and Cohen Nerve growth factor 1991: Neher and Sakmann Ion channels (patch clamps) For the Nobel prizes, click on the press release for a description of the work
Test yourself - The nuts and bolts	Draw a graph with membrane potential on the Y-axis and time on the X-axis. Draw an action potential, labeling the resting potential and threshold. Indicate where depolarization, repolarization, and hyperpolarization are occurring. Describe the role of voltage-gated channels and positive feedback in the action potential.
Test yourself - Problem solving	Problem Set 8: 8-2 parts A to C, & F. 8-3 to 8-7 & 8-18