If intracellular cation levels fall, the resting membrane potential tends to become more negative, a state described as which?

If intracellular cation levels fall, the resting membrane potential tends to become more negative, a state described as which?

• A. Reduced responsiveness.
• B. Depolarization.
• C. Hyperpolarization.
• D. Isopotential.

Answer: (C)

Resting membrane potential is shaped by how many positive charges are inside the cell and how easily ions can cross the membrane. If intracellular cation levels fall, there are fewer positive charges inside, so the inside becomes more negative relative to the outside. This shift is called hyperpolarization. It makes the cell less excitable because it’s farther from the threshold for firing an action potential. Depolarization would be the opposite—inside becomes more positive. Isopotential isn’t about a change in polarity, and reduced responsiveness is a consequence, not the defining state.

Resting membrane potential is shaped by how many positive charges are inside the cell and how easily ions can cross the membrane. If intracellular cation levels fall, there are fewer positive charges inside, so the inside becomes more negative relative to the outside. This shift is called hyperpolarization. It makes the cell less excitable because it’s farther from the threshold for firing an action potential. Depolarization would be the opposite—inside becomes more positive. Isopotential isn’t about a change in polarity, and reduced responsiveness is a consequence, not the defining state.