If the sodium-potassium pumps in the plasma membrane fail to function, all of the following occur except
A) the intracellular concentration of potassium ions will increase.
B) the neuron will slowly depolarize.
C) the membrane will slowly lose its capacity to generate action potentials.
D) the inside of the membrane will have a resting membrane potential that is more positive than normal.
E) the intracellular concentration of sodium ions will increase.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The sodium-potassium pump actively transports potassium ions into and sodium ions out of the cell. If it fails, potassium ions would not be actively transported into the cell, so their intracellular concentration would not increase. Instead, without the pump's activity, the intracellular concentration of potassium would likely decrease as potassium ions passively diffuse out of the cell, and the intracellular concentration of sodium would increase as sodium ions accumulate inside the cell.

If the Sodium-Potassium Pumps in the Plasma Membrane Fail to Function