This lesson plan uses interactive neuron modeling to give students hands-on experience with the core concepts behind the Hodgkin-Hukley action potential.
Learning goals
- Gain familiarity with the NeuronBench web app and configuration format.
- Observe the impact of leak, , and currents on a spiking neuron by selectively removing them.
- Achieve greater intuition about the voltage gating and kinetics of ion channels, by experimentally modifying these properties and measuring their effects on the shape of the action potential.
Requirements
- Understanding of the Nernst and GHK equations.
- Classroom knowledge of the role of , and leak channels in determining the dynamics of an action potential in an idealized neuron segment.
- Access to a Gmail account (for logging in to the NeuronBench app).
Materials
The easiest way to administer this lesson is to distribute the link to the PDF to your students. It contains instructions for getting started on NeuronBench. If your students open the PDF in Firefox they will be able to answer questions and draw diagrams directly on the PDF, save their changes and send them to you for grading. The NeuronBench simulator itself works on all modern desktop browsers.
- PDF (1.0 Mb)
In case you would like to tailor the lesson plans to your own needs, they can be downloaded for MS Word or Apple Pages.
- Apple Pages (2.0 Mb)
- docx (0.8 Mb)
Creative Commons License
Exploring the Action Potential by NeuronBench is licensed under CC BY 4.0
