THE NEURON BLUES
by Thomas Schumann and Arthur W. Siebens, Ph.D., Copyright 2001
to the tune of “Folsom Prison Blues,” by Johnny Cash

Harmonica Lead-in
Well the neuron is the basic cell
That makes up all your nerves.1
It’s specially constructed
Cause it’s designed to serve
Through conduction of nerve signals
That travel down the cell.
The axon and the dendrite
Insure it does it well.
There’s an electrical potential difference
Across a cell’s membrane.
The inside is negative
Sodium enters if it can.
When sodium channels open
The cell’s depolarized.
But in less than a millisecond
They’re back closed up tight (and K channels open to repolarize the neuron).
That depolarization’s
Propagated down the nerve.
As nearby (Na) channels open
An electrical impulse is observed.
It’s called an action potential
When that neuron “fires”
So just ‘cause we’ve got neurons
We don’t need ‘lectrical wires.
The equilibrium potential (ENa, ENa, etc.)
Of each ion’s not the same
Know why the inside’s negative?
Potassium’s to blame!
The permeability to potassium
Normally dominates.
So the resting potential (~ -70 mV)
Is close to EK (~ -90mV).
Harmonica Break
The trip starts at a dendrite or on the cell body (the postsynaptic membrane).
Neurotransmitters
Change the permeability
To various ions:
They’re called E- or IPSP’s (Excitatory or Inhibitory Post Synaptic Potentials).
There’s also spacial and temporal summation—
Don’t ask for simplicity!