alleryStart learning →Depolarization of a neuron membrane is driven by which ion movement?
APotassium rushes into the cell
BChloride rushes out of the cell
CSodium rushes into the cell
DSodium rushes out of the cell
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. Sodium rushes into the cell
1. A stimulus makes the membrane temporarily permeable to sodium ions.
2. Sodium then rushes inward, pushed by both diffusion and the Coulomb force.
3. That inrush first neutralizes the negative inside face, which is what depolarization means.
4. Continuing inflow then makes the interior slightly positive, completing the rising edge of the pulse.
5. Potassium moves in the opposite sense and belongs to the recovery stage, not to depolarization.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 20 "Electric Current, Resistance, and Ohm's Law", section Nerve Conduction_
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