Biomedical Instrumentation I: Lecture-5: The Origin of Biopotentials

Biomedical Instrumentation I
Lecture-5: The Origin of Biopotentials

Source of Bioelectric Potentials
• Bioelectric potentials are produced as a result of electrochemical activity of
a certain class of cells, known as excitable cells.
• The excitation cells are the main components of nervous tissue, muscular
tissue, & glandular tissue.
Electrical States of Excitable Cells
There are two main states of the excitation cells;
1. Resting State
2. Action State
Recordings of Bioelectric Phenomena
• Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
• Electroencephalogram (EEG)
• Electroneurogram (ENG)
• Electromyogram (EMG)
• Electroretinogram (ERG)
• Electroretinography (ERG)
• Electrooculography (EOG)
Human Cell Structure
(1) Nucleolus
(2) Cell Nucleus
(3) Ribosome
(4) Vesicles
(5) Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum
(6) Golgi
(7) Cytoskeleton
(8) Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum
(9) Mitochondria
(10) Vacuole
(11) Cytoplasm
(12) Lizosom
(13) Centrioles
Cell Membrane
• Cell membrane is semipermeable lipid bilayer made of lipids and proteins
that separates the intracellular part from the extracellular environment.
• The cell membrane is very thin with the thickness of 7-15 nm.
• Transmembrane ion channels (pores having the width of 8 nm) allow flow of
ions across the membrane.
Cell Membrane
Cell Membrane
• The cell membrene is a thin dielectric material acts as a charge separator
(like a leaky capacitor) with a dielectric constant of ε = 5, and spec. capacity
of C = 0.5 to 1 μF/cm2
• The cell membrane is impermeable to intracellular protein and other organic

anions.
• The cell membrane is semipermeable to sodium (Na+), potassium (K+) and

chlorine (Cl-) ions.
• Separation of charge due to selective permeability of the membrane to ions

is responsible for the membrane potential.
Cell Membrane
Transit of substances in and out of cells is regulated by:
1. Diffusion is the passive process of transfer of ions or substance from

regions of higher concentration to regions of lower concentration.
2. Osmosis is the process diffusion of water through a semipermeable

membrane.
3. Active transmission is the process of transfer of ions or substance from

region of lower concentration to regions of higher concentration, and it requires
energy.
Cell Membrane
• Ion concentration difference across membrane creates a diffusion gradient.
• Movement of ions across the membrane causes an electrical current to

travel along the membrane.
• The ions flow by diffusion create a potential difference which inhibits further
flow of charged ions similar to P-N junction.
• The current in electric circuits is the flow of free electrons. Similarly, the
current in biological tissue is the flow of free ions.
Cell Membrane
The rules governing the ionic current are:
•Fick’s law diffusion

•Drift equation
•Einstein relation
Cell Membrane
1. Fick’s Law
Diffusion through semipermeable membrane that is if there is a high

concentration [C] of particles in one region that are free to move, they will
flow in a direction to equalize the concentration [C] throughout the region.
K+ ions can easily leave the cell, creating an excess positive charge and the
potential difference occurs - diffusion takes place until the electric field is
established and it stops the process of diffusion.
Cell Membrane
2. Particle Drift
Charged particles such as ions in an electric field will move under the forces of
electrical attraction and repulsion. The resulting ionic flow is called the drift
current.
Cell Membrane
3. Einstein Relationship
Two physical constants, mobility μ and diffusion coefficient D are related to

each other:
k is the Boltzmann's constant

q is the charge (C)
T is the absolute temperature (K)
Equilibrium Potential
• At equilibrium transmembrane (resting) potential, the net current through the
cell membrane is zero.
Nernst Equation
•The Nernst equation is used for single ionic species.
•Assumes K+ to be the main ionic species involved in the resting state that is, Pk
>> Pna.
Example: The intracellular K+ concentration of a group of cells averages
I50 x 10-6 moles/cm3. The extracellular concentration of K+ averages 6 x 10-
6 moles/cm3.
a)Calculate the concentration ration.

b)Calculate the diffusion potential for K+.
Solution
a)
b)
Goldman–Hodgkin–Katz (GHK) Equation
The Goldman equation accounts for influence of other ionic species in internal and
external fluid media.
•R is the universal gas constant

•T is absolute temperature in K
•F is the Faraday constant
•PM is the permeability coefficient of the membrane for a particular ionic species M
(K, Na, Cl)
Active Channel: Sodium-Potassium Pump
• Maintaining steady state ionic imbalance requires continuous transport of

ions against electrochemical gradients.
• Active transport mechanism located in the membrane, and is known as the

sodium–potassium pump.
• The sodium–potassium pump actively transports Na+ out of cell and K+ into
cell in the ratio 3Na+: 2K+.
• Associated pump current iNaK is a net outward current that tends to increase
the negativity of the intracellular potential.
• The energy for the pump is provided by a common source of cellular

energy, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) produced by mitochondria in the cell.
Active Channel: Sodium-Potassium Pump
Factors Influencing the Flow of Ions Across the
Cell Membrane
• Diffusion gradients
• Inwardly directed electric field
• Membrane structure (availability of pores)
• Active transport of ions against an established electrochemical gradient

The Active State
Polarization: the cell membrane is at a steady resting potential (more negative
inside the cell).
Depolarization: lessening the magnitude of cell polarization by making inside the

cell less negative.
Hyperpolarization: increasing the magnitude of cell polarization by making

inside the cell more negative.
Action Potential: brief transient disturbance of membrane potential.

•change in membrane potential due to a stimulus adequate to bring about
depolarization sufficient to exceed its threshold potential and thereby elicit an all-
or-none action potential.
•change in potential from resting level.
•further increases in intensity or duration of stimulus beyond that required for
exceeding the threshold level produce only the same result.
Repolarization: return to membrane equilibrium after action potential.
Action Potential
If a stimulus depolarizes the cell such that Vcell > Vthreshold , an action
potential is generated.
Exteracellular Interacellular
2.5 mmol/liter of K+ 140 mmol/liter of K+
Na+
Electric Field ++ -
-
+ -
K+
- +
Electric Field - +
- +
Action Potential
Absolute refractory period: membrane can not respond to any stimulus.
Relative refractory period: membrane can respond to an intense stimulus.
Resting Membrane Potential
Action Potential
Action Potential
As a result of stimulus, the permeability of membrane to Na+ increases up to
1000 times folds. Therefore, the Na+ rush into the cell carrying enough positive
charges to change the membrane potential. This is called “Depolarization”.
Action Potential
Action Potential
Almost immediately after depolarization, the pores of membrane again
become almost impermeable to Na+ and the membrane potential goes back
to its resting state. This is called “Repolarization”.
Action Potential
Action Potential
Action Potential
• An action potential elicited at any point on a membrane, usually excites
adjacent portions of the membrane, resulting propagation of the action
potential in any direction.
• The action potential moves and depolarizes through the entire membrane or
it fails to travel at all.
• This is called “all-or-none law”.

The ECG: Cardiac Action Potential

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Biomedical Instrumentation I

Lecture-5: The Origin of Biopotentials

• The cell membrane is impermeable to intracellular protein and other organic

• The cell membrane is semipermeable to sodium (Na+), potassium (K+) and

• Separation of charge due to selective permeability of the membrane to ions

1. Diffusion is the passive process of transfer of ions or substance from

2. Osmosis is the process diffusion of water through a semipermeable

3. Active transmission is the process of transfer of ions or substance from

• Movement of ions across the membrane causes an electrical current to

•Fick’s law diffusion

Diffusion through semipermeable membrane that is if there is a high

Two physical constants, mobility μ and diffusion coefficient D are related to

k is the Boltzmann's constant

a)Calculate the concentration ration.

•R is the universal gas constant

• Maintaining steady state ionic imbalance requires continuous transport of

• Active transport mechanism located in the membrane, and is known as the

• The energy for the pump is provided by a common source of cellular

• Inwardly directed electric field

• Membrane structure (availability of pores)

• Active transport of ions against an established electrochemical gradient

Depolarization: lessening the magnitude of cell polarization by making inside the

Hyperpolarization: increasing the magnitude of cell polarization by making

Action Potential: brief transient disturbance of membrane potential.

• This is called “all-or-none law”.

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