Name: jila hafizi

Exercise 3: Neurophysiology of Nerve Impulses: Activity 9: The Action Potential: Putting It All Together Lab Report
Pre-lab Quiz Results
You scored 75% by answering 3 out of 4 questions correctly.
1. Sensory neurons respond to an appropriate sensory stimulus with a change in membrane potential that is
Your answer : a. all or nothing.
Correct answer: b. graded with the stimulus intensity.
2. If the depolarization that reaches the axon is large and suprathreshold, the result in the axon is
You correctly answered: c. action potentials at higher frequency.
3. At the axon terminal, each action potential causes the release of neurotransmitter. This neurotransmitter diffuses to the
receiving end of an interneuron, where it binds to receptors and causes
You correctly answered: a. ion channels to open, so that the receiving end of the interneuron depolarizes.
4. Interneurons respond to chemical (neurotransmitter) stimulation with a change in membrane potential that is
You correctly answered: b. graded with the stimulus intensity.

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Experiment Results
Predict Question:
Predict Question 1: If you apply a very weak, subthreshold stimulus to the sensory receptor
Your answer : a. a small, depolarizing response will occur at R1, and no responses will occur at R2, R3, and R4.
Predict Question 2: If you apply a moderate stimulus to the sensory receptor
Your answer : a. a larger, depolarizing response will occur at R1, and an action potential will be generated at R2 and maybe
at R4.
Predict Question 3: If you apply a strong stimulus to the sensory receptor
Your answer : a. a large, depolarizing response will occur at R1 and R3, and action potentials will occur at R2 and R4.
Stop & Think Questions:
Observe the two neurons in the petri dish. What do you think is the resting membrane potential at the receiving end of the
sensory neuron (sensory receptor) and the receiving end of the interneuron?
You correctly answered: c. -70 mV
Why is there no response at R3 when you apply a very weak stimulus to the sensory receptor?
You correctly answered: c. The very weak stimulus does not depolarize the axon of the sensory neuron to threshold.
Why is there a larger, depolarizing response at R1 when you apply a moderate intensity stimulus?
You correctly answered: c. The stimulus induces a graded receptor potential at R1.
Experiment Data:
Stimulus

None
Weak
Moderate
Strong

Sensory Neuron
Membrane Potential
(mV) Receptor
-70
-60
-40
-25

Sensory Neuron
AP Frequency
(Hz) in Axon

Sensory Neuron
Vesicles Released
from Axon Terminal

0
16.6
33.3

0
4
6

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Interneuron
Membrane Potential
(mV) Receiving End
-70
-70
-50
-40

Interneuron
AP Frequency (Hz)
in Axon
0
5
10

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Post-lab Quiz Results

You scored 100% by answering 5 out of 5 questions correctly.
1. What determines the amplitude of the depolarization at the sensory receptor (R1)?
You correctly answered: a. The strength of the stimulus applied to the sensory receptor.
2. What determines the frequency of action potentials in the axon of the sensory neuron (R2)?
You correctly answered: a. The amplitude of the depolarization at the sensory receptor (R1).
3. Which of the following directly determines the amount of neurotransmitter released at the axon terminal of the sensory
neuron?
You correctly answered: c. The amount of calcium that enters the sensory receptor.
4. Which of the following directly or indirectly determines the amount of neurotransmitter released at the axon terminal of
the sensory neuron?
You correctly answered: d. All of the above play a role in determining the amount of neurotransmitter released.
5. Which of the following directly or indirectly determines the frequency of action potentials in the axon of the interneuron?
You correctly answered: d. All of the above play a role in determining the frequency of action potentials in the axon of the
interneuron.

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Review Sheet Results

1. Why is the resting membrane potential the same value in both the sensory neuron and the interneuron?
Your answer:
have the same amount of depolirization
2. Describe what happened when you applied a very weak stimulus to the sensory receptor. How well did the results
compare with your prediction?
Your answer:
there was deplorization at R1 and nothing happened to the rest. This was the same as my prediction.
3. Describe what happened when you applied a moderate stimulus was to the sensory receptor. How well did the results
compare with your prediction?
Your answer:
R1 had a large depolrization. R3 had a smaller depolrization. R2 had large action potential frequency and R4 had an action
potential frequency but much smaller. My prediction was mostly correct except it did not include R3 having a depolrization
directly
4. Identify the type of membrane potential (graded receptor potential or action potential) that occurred at R1, R2, R3, and
R4 when you applied a moderate stimulus (view Experiment Results to view the response to this stimulus).
Your answer:
at R2 action potential. R1 graded receptor potential. R4 Action potential, R3 graded recptor potential.
5. Describe what happened when you applied a strong stimulus to the sensory receptor. How well did the results compare
with your prediction?
Your answer:
Big depolrization at R1 and R3. and action potentials at R2 and R4. My prediction was correct.

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