26:69-71, 2002.
Adv Physiol Educ
Dee U. Silverthorn
membrane potential
Uncovering misconceptions about the resting
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UNCOVERING MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE RESTING
MEMBRANE POTENTIAL
Dee U. Silverthorn
Neurobiology Section, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712
ADV PHYSIOL EDUC 26: 69–71, 2002;
10.1152/advan.00012.2002.
Resting membrane potential is one of the most diffi-
cult physiological concepts that students must mas-
ter. Although the upper-division undergraduates in
my physiology course have completed a semester of
neurophysiology in which they worked problems us-
ing the Nernst and Goldman equations, they often fail
to retain conceptual understanding of the underlying
phenomena. I developed the following question to
show them (and myself) what they don’t understand.
If the ECF K
concentration increases from 3 to 5
mM, what happens to the resting membrane poten-
tial of an adipose cell? (Circle all that are correct)
a) it decreases
b) it increases
c) it doesn’t change
d) it becomes more negative
e) it becomes less negative
f) it depolarizes
g) it hyperpolarizes
h) it repolarizes
i) it fires an action potential

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