A cardiac cell can be satisfactorily represented by the shape of a brick with ed

Question

A cardiac cell can be satisfactorily represented by the shape of a brick with edges defined by a length, width and depth. The cell’s surface area can be approximated by that of the four long sides excluding the ends (width x depth). Assume such a cell with length 90 micro-m, width 5 micro-m and depth 8 micro-m. At rest the membrane resistivity is 20,000 cm2 and capacitance is 1.1 micro-F/cm2.

1.2 If the cell membrane functions as passive (parallel resistor-capacitor combination) what is the time constant of the cell?

Explanation / Answer

Time constant of a RC circuit is given by RC

R is resistivity and C is the capacitance

20000*1.2 =24000 is the answer

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