2 - NeuroblUlUgy DIODL Homework Assignment Spring 2018 7. What experiments could

Question

2 - NeuroblUlUgy DIODL Homework Assignment Spring 2018 7. What experiments could you do to determine how many sodium channels open when you depolarize a squid giant axon to 0 mV? 8. Suppose you are trying to study the conductance of potassium channels. You use a pipette to take an excised patch of membrane and you start measuring current. You are not sure if the measured current is the result of only potassium channels or if it is a combination of potassium and sodium channels. What are two ways that you could make sure that you are not recording current produced by sodium channels?

Explanation / Answer

Answer:

In voltage clamp method, voltage is kept constant and current is measure and is most effective method to express the properties of voltage dependent channels. There is no capacitive current.

In current clamp method, we apply current and denote the voltage response. This resembles physiological conditions of axon operation and conveys a closer picture of normal axon working. This method is difficult to comprehend due to the fact that voltage controls conductance which in turn are allow ionic currents to pass through the membrane which then change the membrane voltage.

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