Key Concepts Week 2

Nernst Potential

A value that represents the electrical potential difference across a cell membrane that is required to balance the diffusion of a particular ion species

Diffusion

The movement of particles, such as atoms, ions, or molecules, from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration

Electric Field

The field that arises due to differences in electrical potential between different regions within a biological system

Equilibrium

The forces acting on ions across the cell membrane are balanced, resulting in no net movement of ions

Membrane Permeability

The property of a cell membrane that determines the ease with which ions and other molecules can pass through the membrane

Selective Permeability

The property of a cell membrane that allows only certain ions or molecules to pass through the membrane, while excluding others

Na+/K+ Pump

An ATP-dependent pump that moves sodium ions (Na+) out of the cell and potassium ions (K+) into the cell, against their concentration gradients

Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equation

An equation that describes the relationship between the electrical potential across the membrane and the distribution of ions across the membrane