BN102: Passive Membrane Properties

What are passive electrical properties?

Passive electrical properties are the membrane
properties that allow neurons to conduct electrical
impulses without using voltage-gated ion channels.

1. Resting membrane resistance (Rm).

2. Membrane capacitance (Cm).
3. Intracellular (axial) resistance (Ri).

C. Aizenman, 2/13/07

What is affected by passive properties?

1. The magnitude of
change in membrane
potential
after current entry.
2. The time course of
change in membrane
potential
after current entry.
3. The distance over
which the change in
voltage
travels.
4. Speed of action
potential
propagation.

1. Membrane Resistance (Input Resistance): Rinput

I

Determines how much the

membrane potential will
change in response to a
current.

1. Membrane Resistance (Input Resistance):

V

Rinput:

Overall resistance of a cell.

Rin= 10 M" (10x106 ")

I= 1 nA (1x10 -9A)

!V=IRInput

1. The density of the channels open at rest.

2. The size of the cell.
The specific membrane resistance, Rm, describes the
resistance of a unit area (how leaky the membrane is).

!V=IRInput

V=IR

What does Rin depend on?

!V= (1x10-9)(10x106)=10 mV

Rm >
Rin >

Rinput

Rm = Rm
Rin > Rin

Rm
Rin

Rm
=
4 "a 2

Surface area of a sphere = 4!a2

a=radius
Rin"1/a 2

Neurons vary in size and structure - passive properties differ

Plumbers version of a membrane: R

Pressure difference

20 #m
Purkinje Neuron (rat)
Rinput

Tectal Neuron (tadpole)

<

Rinput

Water
Pump

2. Membrane Capacitance: Cinput

Circuit model of a membrane: Rm

Voltage change across a

membrane is not
instantaneous due to
membrane capacitance.

Voltage change through a resistor is instantaneous.

A capacitor is a device that stores energy in the

electric field created between a pair of conductors,
separated by an insulating layer, on which equal
but opposite electric charges have been placed.

C(F) =

Q
V

Plumbers version of a capacitor

Pressure difference = 0

C
t=0

The lipid bilayer in a cells membrane acts as a capacitor.

Water
Pump

Circuit model of a membrane: Cm

Pressure difference = Vt

C
t=x
Water
Pump

Voltage change through a capacitor is gradual and

proportional to the current.
Specific membrane cap. (Cm) has a fixed value =1#F/cm2 due
to the uniform thickness (4nm) of the cell membrane.
Larger cells have larger capacitance.

Cinput = Cm(4 "a 2 )

Neurons vary in size and structure - passive properties differ

Plumbers version of an RC circuit

No flow
Total flow =
Flow at R
Capacitor
+
R
charging
Flow at C

t=0

20 #m
Purkinje Neuron (rat)
Rinput

Cinput

Tectal Neuron (tadpole)

<
>

Rinput
Cinput

C
Water
Pump

Pressure difference
Capacitor
charged

Pressure difference
Capacitor
discharging

t=1

t=2

Water
Pump

Water
Pump

Circuit model of a membrane: Rin. + Cin.

Since Im = Ir + Ic , as the capacitor gets charged the amount

of current flowing through the resistor gradually increases,
gradually increasing Vm until the voltage reaches a steady
state. The membrane time constant (# ) determines the rate
of change in Vm.
# = CinRin

# describes how fast

the voltage changes.
The greater # is, the
longer it will take to
reach maximal voltage
change (ImRin).
Also the greater # is,
the slower is the decay
of the voltage.
#= CinRin
#= (Cm (4!a2)) (Rm/4!a2)
#= Cm Rm

Cin= Cm (4!a2)
Rin= Rm/4!a2

# does not depend on the size of the cell

# depends on Rm

Rising phase

Falling phase

Rising phase
!Vm(t)= ImRin (1$e$t/#)
After # seconds, t= #

!Vm(t)= ImRin (1$e$t/# )

!Vm(t) = Change in voltage at time t.
ImRin = maximal change in voltage
t = time
t=0, t>> #
# = time constant (sec)
#= The time it takes to reach (1-1/e) (~63%) of maximal change in voltage
#= The time it takes to drop to 1/e (~37%) of maximal change in voltage

3. Internal Resistance (Axial Resistance): Ra

!Vm(#)= ImRin (1$e$ # /#)

!Vm(#)= ImRin (1$e$ 1) = ImRin (1$1/e)
= ImRin (1$1/2.7)
= 0.63 ImRin

e=2.7
63% ImRin

Falling phase
!Vm(t)= ImRin e$t/#
t= #
!Vm(t)= ImRin e$1 = ImRin (1/e) = ImRin (1/2.7)
!Vm(#)=0.37 ImRin

The length constant (% ) describes the change in Vm at distance (x)

Determines how far and how fast an impulse will travel.

Voltage drops off exponentially:

" = rm r
a

!Vm(x)= V0 e-x/%
Determined by the specific resistance of the
cytoplasm and the diameter of the central core.

Fatter axons have longer length constants

rm=Rm/2!a

" = rm r
a

" = aRm #

ra=&/2!a2

Cross section through an axon

% will affect the speed of

AP propagation.

Fatter axons will

conduct faster.

& = specific resistance of cytoplasm

Why are passive membrane properties important?

a
larger area = more ions

ions

High ra

Low ra

larger circumference = more channels

As a increases, r a decreases
faster than r m , thus % gets bigger.

channels

High rm

Low rm

Myelination effectively increases rm making % greater.

It also decreases Cm (#=rmcm), allowing Vm to change faster.

" = rm r
a

Problem

Time constants and

length constants will
affect temporal and
spatial summation,
determining whether
a subthreshold input
will elicit an action
potential.

A cell receives a synaptic input 100 !m away from the axon hillock.
Activation of the input results in voltage change of +45 mV at the site of
input. You have experimentally determined that % is 100 !m and that
action-potential threshold at the axon hillock is -50 mV. Does the cell fire
an action potential as a result of the synaptic input? Assume a resting
membrane potential of -65mV.

!Vm(x)= V0 e-x/%
% = 100 #m

100#m

X= 100 #m

!Vm(100)= 45 x e-1/1
= 45 x 1/e = 45 x 0.37= 16.7 mV
-65 + 16.7 = -48.3 mV

Useful Tidbits
Giga = x109
Mega = x106
Kilo = x103
Unit
Milli = x10-3
Micro = x10-6
Nano = x10-9
Pico = x10-12

V=IR
g=1/R
C=Q/V

Voltage = volts (V)

Current = amps (A)
Resistance = ohms (")
Capacitance = Farads (F)
Conductance = Siemens (S)
Charge = Coulombs