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Finally, Rebecca conducted an experiment in which she added a small amount of concentrated KCl solution to the extracellular medium, doubling the value of [K+]out. She investigated how this affected the electrophysiological properties of the neurone. Before increasing extracellular K+ concentration the neurone was silent, ie. did not fire action potentials. After increasing [K+]out by adding KCl to the extracellular medium she observed

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Finally, Rebecca conducted an experiment in which she added a small amount of concentrated KCl solution to the extracellular medium, doubling the value of [K+]out. She investigated how this affected the electrophysiological properties of the neurone. Before increasing extracellular K+ concentration the neurone was silent, ie. did not fire action potentials. After increasing [K+]out by adding KCl to the extracellular medium she observed

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Solution

It seems like your question got cut off. However, I can explain what might happen when the concentration of extracellular potassium (K+) is increased.

  1. Increasing the concentration of K+ in the extracellular fluid can depolarize the neuron. This is because the concentration gradient of K+ across the cell membrane is a major determinant of the resting membrane potential.

  2. Normally, there is a higher concentration of K+ inside the cell compared to outside. This creates a negative resting membrane potential, as positive K+ ions move out of the cell via potassium channels.

  3. When the concentration of K+ outside the cell is increased, the concentration gradient of K+ across the cell membrane decreases. This means that less K+ ions move out of the cell, causing the inside of the cell to become less negative (or more positive).

  4. This depolarization of the neuron can make it more likely to fire an action potential. This is because depolarization brings the membrane potential closer to the threshold potential that triggers an action potential.

  5. Therefore, after increasing the extracellular K+ concentration, Rebecca might observe that the previously silent neuron starts to fire action potentials.

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