Virtual Lab Report
Action Potential Lab: Experiment with a
squid neuron
This lab report is for you to reflect on what you completed and learned in this
simulation, and to practice your written scientific communication skills.
Sections
1. Describe the overall objective and make a hypothesis
2. Introduce relevant background knowledge on this topic
3. Summarize the steps taken in the simulation
4. Explain any obtained results
5. Discuss the conclusions and implications
1 Copyright Labster ApS 2021
All Rights Reserved
, 1. Describe the overall objective and make a hypothesis.
What is the overall purpose of the experiments or activities? Make a hypothesis if
applicable.
Hint: The purpose is often stated in the welcome message of the simulation.
The overarching purpose of this investigation was to determine the source of toxins
ingested by a patient who had been admitted to a hospital with a case of severe food
poisoning. A sample obtained from this patient revealed the presence of a neurotoxin,
possibly present due to the consumption of seafood. Shellfish are filter feeders, so toxins
present in their environment tend to concentrate in their flesh. The toxin being
investigated, however, is possibly one that is intrinsic to many species of tropical fish.
A major component of this investigation will be the replication of an experiment first
conducted to measure the action potential of a nerve cell by Alan Hodgkin and Andrew
Huxley. The National Library of Medicine reveals that Hodgkin and Huxley formed one of
the most influential collaborations in the history of physiology. Their work, both in the
Physiological Laboratory in Cambridge and at the Laboratory of the Marine Biological
Association in Plymouth, provided fundamental insights into nerve cell excitability.
During this investigation, seven pertinent subobjectives stipulated by the Labster Virtual
Lab Manual “Action Potential Lab; experiment with a squid neuron” will be investigated:
1} A calculation of membrane equilibriums and membrane potential using the Nernst
equation
2} Research into the ionic and electrical characteristics of each phase of an action
potential
2 Copyright Labster ApS 2021
All Rights Reserved
Action Potential Lab: Experiment with a
squid neuron
This lab report is for you to reflect on what you completed and learned in this
simulation, and to practice your written scientific communication skills.
Sections
1. Describe the overall objective and make a hypothesis
2. Introduce relevant background knowledge on this topic
3. Summarize the steps taken in the simulation
4. Explain any obtained results
5. Discuss the conclusions and implications
1 Copyright Labster ApS 2021
All Rights Reserved
, 1. Describe the overall objective and make a hypothesis.
What is the overall purpose of the experiments or activities? Make a hypothesis if
applicable.
Hint: The purpose is often stated in the welcome message of the simulation.
The overarching purpose of this investigation was to determine the source of toxins
ingested by a patient who had been admitted to a hospital with a case of severe food
poisoning. A sample obtained from this patient revealed the presence of a neurotoxin,
possibly present due to the consumption of seafood. Shellfish are filter feeders, so toxins
present in their environment tend to concentrate in their flesh. The toxin being
investigated, however, is possibly one that is intrinsic to many species of tropical fish.
A major component of this investigation will be the replication of an experiment first
conducted to measure the action potential of a nerve cell by Alan Hodgkin and Andrew
Huxley. The National Library of Medicine reveals that Hodgkin and Huxley formed one of
the most influential collaborations in the history of physiology. Their work, both in the
Physiological Laboratory in Cambridge and at the Laboratory of the Marine Biological
Association in Plymouth, provided fundamental insights into nerve cell excitability.
During this investigation, seven pertinent subobjectives stipulated by the Labster Virtual
Lab Manual “Action Potential Lab; experiment with a squid neuron” will be investigated:
1} A calculation of membrane equilibriums and membrane potential using the Nernst
equation
2} Research into the ionic and electrical characteristics of each phase of an action
potential
2 Copyright Labster ApS 2021
All Rights Reserved
