How do sodium and potassium ions maintain resting potential

Question

How do sodium and potassium ions maintain resting potential of the neuron?

Answer 1

The plasma membrane of the neuron when at rest maintains an electric potential differentiation between its internal and external surfaces. This voltage is named as resting potential. The resting potential about –70 mV indicates that interior is more negative than exterior (negative polarization). This situation is maintained by transportation of sodium and potassium ions across plasma membrane.

The membrane is permeable to potassium ions however not to sodium ions. At rest the positive potassium ions exit cell in favor of concentration gradient since in the cell the potassium concentration is higher than in the extracellular space. The positive sodium ions can’t however go in the cell. As positive potassium ions exit cell with inadequate compensation of positive ions entering the cell, intracellular space becomes more negative and cell stays polarized.