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BENG 186B hw3

The document outlines Homework #3 for BENG 186B, due on February 7, 2025, which includes three main problems related to nerve fibers, the patellar reflex, and the design of a biopotential amplifier. The first problem focuses on the electrochemical equilibrium of ions in a nerve fiber, the second involves measuring EMG signals from muscle fibers, and the third requires designing an amplifier for neural signals with specific impedance and gain requirements. Each problem includes sub-questions and points allocation for grading.

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7 views

BENG 186B hw3

The document outlines Homework #3 for BENG 186B, due on February 7, 2025, which includes three main problems related to nerve fibers, the patellar reflex, and the design of a biopotential amplifier. The first problem focuses on the electrochemical equilibrium of ions in a nerve fiber, the second involves measuring EMG signals from muscle fibers, and the third requires designing an amplifier for neural signals with specific impedance and gain requirements. Each problem includes sub-questions and points allocation for grading.

Uploaded by

konatsu.kay
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BENG 186B Winter 2025 HW #3

Due Friday, Feb 7 at 11:59pm on Canvas (Gradescope)

Parts of the homework done collectively in-class (Friday, January 31) are indicated below with [IC].

1. [15 pts] A nerve fiber is placed in a bathing solution whose composition is identical to extracellular
fluid in the body. After the preparation equilibrates at 37 ◦ C, a microelectrode inserted into the nerve
fiber records a potential difference across the nerve membrane, interior to the cell with reference to
the extracellular bathing solution, as -80 mV. The composition of the intracellular fluid and the
extracellular fluid (bathing solution) is shown below.

Ion Intracellular Fluid Extracellular Fluid


Na+ 10 mmol/L 100 mmol/L
K+ 120 mmol/L 5 mmol/L
Cl− 100 mmol/L 120 mmol/L

(a) [IC] [5 pts] Which ion is closest to electrochemical equilibrium?


(b) [10 pts] What can be concluded about relative permeabilities of the nerve membrane to Na+ and
K+ , if it is known that the membrane is practically impermeable to Cl− under these conditions?

2. [25 pts] The patellar reflex causes the quadriceps muscle to contract in response to the patellar
tendon being struck. You are interested in measuring the magnitude of the reflex response using
EMG. Consider the propagation of an action potential along a muscle fiber bundle in the thigh. The
action potential travels at a velocity v = 10 m/s. Model the current entering the muscle from the
extracellular medium at the action potential onset as a current monopole −I traveling at v, and a
second current exiting the muscle at repolarization as a current monopole +I following at a distance
d = 1 cm. An electrode on the arm surface at a distance D = 5 cm from the muscle measures the
EMG signal relative to body ground. Assume a volume conductivity σ = 0.1 Ω−1 m−1 . You measure
an action potential magnitude of Vmax = 100 µV.

(a) [IC] [5 pts] What value of current I would you expect for the current monopoles to yield the
given action potential magnitude?
(b) [20 pts] Plot the EMG signal as a function of time as the action potential goes by.

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3. Design Problem [60 pts]: Biopotential amplifiers are voltage amplifiers typically used in electro-
physiological experiments to increase the amplitude of weak electrical signals of biological origin-
picked up by an electrode in contact with surrounding tissue. Design a biopotential amplifier for
measuring neural signals that takes in voltage as its input and has an input impedance greater than
1 GΩ, so as to avoid loading of the biopotential signal being measured. The output impedance of
the amplifier should be sufficiently low to drive an external 1 kΩ load with minimal distortion. The
voltage gain should be greater than 1,000 over the signal frequency band in order to resolve low-
amplitude biopotential signals. The signal frequency band ranges from 0.1 Hz to 1 kHz, and the
voltage gain should attenuate outside of this range in order to suppress noise and interference from
unwanted signals and motion artifacts. You have a 1.2V battery available, and can use any number
of opamps, resistors, and capacitors.
As before, specify all component values and other parameters to quantify your design, and explain
your reasoning behind design choices based on the specifications. You may find it useful to check the
operation of your circuit and observe its behavior using an electronic simulator such as the Falstad
Java applet with several circuit examples posted at https://www.falstad.com/circuit/.

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